Journey to the Lake Trilogy: Book One: The Beginning
by Moonlit Demise
Summary: As an apprentice, Foxwhisker listens to a story of the lake from the elders. He thinks nothing of it until he dreams several times of the far away place, and is told that he will go there. The StarClan cat also said that he would go with five other cats. Who will these cats be? Will he reach the lake? What will happen if they do? OCs accepted! PM me for ?s! (PLEASE R&R) :(:l :):DXD
1. Chapter 1

LilyClan

Leader- Dawnstar, crème she-cat with green eyes

Deputy- Grayclaw, gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Medicine Cat- Nightflower, black she-cat with dark green eyes

Apprentice, Mousepaw, dusky brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits)

Kestrelsong, brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Darkwillow, black she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Redpaw, dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Minnowheart, silver tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Emberpaw, black tom with orange splotches and green eyes

Spiderfoot, black tom with amber eyes and a white tipped tail

Cedarfur, dark gray tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Willowpaw, pale gray, almost white tom with dark green eyes

Speckleheart, black she-cat with gray spots and blue eyes

Apprentice, Foxpaw, black and gray tom with amber eyes

Nightclaw, black tom with dark blue eyes

Blizzardclaw, white she-cat with blue eyes and very, very pale gray spots

Apprentice, Otterpaw, dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes

Snowshade, white she-cat with black markings and blue eyes

Apprentice, Blackpaw, black tom with green eyes

Toadflight, brown tabby tom with hazel eyes

Apprentice, Littlepaw, small tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Whitewhisker, white tom with green eyes

Dustfeather, brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentices (kits over six moons in training to become warriors)

Mousepaw, dusky brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Redpaw, dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Emberpaw, black tom with orange splotches and green eyes

Willowpaw, pale gray, almost white tom with dark green eyes

Foxpaw, black and gray tom with amber eyes

Otterpaw, dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes

Blackpaw, black tom with green eyes

Littlepaw, small tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Blossomfrost, tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes and white underbelly (mother of Mallowkit, orange tabby she-cat with a black face, legs, and tail-tip and green eyes, Lightkit, black tom with a dark crème face and blue eyes, and Hollowkit, gray tom with green eyes- mate of Grayclaw)

Vixencloud, ginger she-cat with white stripes and green eyes (expecting Whitewhisker's kits)

Elders (warriors and queens now retired)

Frostpelt, white tom with blue eyes

Darkclaw, dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Stonepetal, dark gray she-cat with amber eyes

Liontail, bright ginger tom with amber eyes

Molewing, dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Chapter One- Foxpaw

Foxpaw slid out of the apprentice's den and into the clearing, nearly slipping into the stream that rippled beside him. _Why did they even put the apprentice's den next to the stream? It's just plain stupid, for StarClan's sake!_

Foxpaw strode to the center of the clearing, stretching his muscles in the cold dawn light. The fresh-kill pile was low; only a pigeon and a mouse. _I'll ask Speckleheart if we can go hunting when she gets up._

Foxpaw picked up the mouse with his teeth and went to sit in the ferns where the apprentices usually ate their prey. He set his mouse down and pressed his chest towards the ground, stretching his forelegs out and lifting his rump before settling down to eat.

The morning was beautiful. No other cat was in the clearing besides him, so it was very peaceful. This was Foxpaw's favorite time of day; when the sun was just barely warming the air so that it was comfortably cool, he could hear the birds chirping their songs in the trees, and he was alone with time to think clearly.

Foxpaw finished his mouse and stood up wondering what to do when Speckleheart pulled herself out from under the holly bush that served as the warrior's den. "Foxpaw, you're up early as usual." She meowed, flicking her ear as she looked at the nearly empty fresh-kill pile. "Want to go hunting?"

Foxpaw straightened up flexing his claws. "Yes please! I was meaning to ask you if we could."

"All righty then! Let's go right now," Speckleheart replied, drawing a paw over her ear.

Speckleheart trotted up the steep side of the hollow, easily making her way towards the rim. Foxpaw followed, easily keeping up with her. Speckleheart stopped when they reached the trees. "Alright, what can you smell?" she tested.

Foxpaw opened his mouth slightly, drawing the scents of the forest over his tongue. "I smell vole, it's coming from that direction," he replied, pointing with his tail.

"Good, now let's see if you can catch it." Speckleheart nodded gesturing for him to take the lead.

Foxpaw nervously stepped ahead of Speckleheart, following the scent of vole. Finally he spotted it, nibbling on a seed below a birch tree. Foxpaw smoothly slid into a perfect hunting crouch, stalking forward. Silently, he made his way towards the vole, stepping over dry leaves and sticks. When he got in pouncing range, he wiggled his hind quarters and sprang at the unsuspecting creature. Foxpaw killed it with a swift blow to the neck, and buried it in the leaf mulch.

"Great job! Let's find a few more pieces of prey and then head back."

`'`'`'``'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'

By the time they had turned their paws toward home, Foxpaw had caught the first vole, and two more mice and Speckleheart had caught a sparrow, a pigeon, and a shrew. Foxpaw had received much praise from his mentor, making his step light with happiness. Speckleheart didn't give praise lightly, so Foxpaw knew that he had done well.

Once they got to the camp, Foxpaw trotted down into the hollow. Blood red light filtered in through the canopy of trees that covered the side of the camp were the sun went down.

Foxpaw saw Dawnstar, Grayclaw, and Darkwillow heading towards the clump of bracken were the senior warriors ate, while Toadflight, Blizzardclaw, Cedarfur, and Whitewhisker sharing prey were the rest of the warriors ate their meal. Blackpaw, Redpaw, Otterpaw, and Willowpaw all ate mice in the ferns where the apprentices had eaten for generations.

The camp was full of cats eating and sharing tongues. This was one of Foxpaw's other favorite times of the day. Although it was the complete opposite of peaceful, Foxpaw loved being with his clan mates. Sharing tongues with clan mates was a highlight of his day.

Suddenly, Foxpaw was snapped out of his thoughts by someone calling his name. "Foxpaw! Get something to eat and come over here!" Willowpaw yelled.

"Okay! I'll be there in a second," Foxpaw called back.

Foxpaw turned to the fresh-kill pile which was stocked well. Obviously other hunting patrols had gone out.

Foxpaw picked up a rabbit and padded over to his friends. Willowpaw flicked his tail in greeting when he reached the apprentices. Foxpaw and Willowpaw had been friends since they were in the nursery together. Willowpaw was a day older, but they had become apprentices on the same day; all of Willowpaw's littermates had died, and Foxpaw was born alone. This had given them a special connection to each other.

Foxpaw sat down beside Otterpaw and tucked in to his rabbit. _This is how life should be,_ he thought. _Plenty of fresh-kill, time with friends, and the whole clan in harmony._

After Foxpaw had finished his rabbit he said that he was tired and went to the apprentice's den. He curled up in his moss and fell asleep.

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'

"_Foxpaw! Foxpaw, were are you?" a voice called._

"_Who are you? What's your name?" Foxpaw yelled back. _

_Suddenly a cat appeared at his side, slipping from a bush. The she-cat was a beautiful gray tabby with the brightest green eyes. The she-cat didn't answer his question, but rather turned and sprinted away from him. She looked over her shoulder, laughter glinting in her eyes. _

_Unexpectedly, the beautiful cat turned into a raving dog that turned and charged him. Foxpaw ran for his life, but he could feel the dog's breath on his tail and he couldn't run as fast as he usually could. The dog caught him in his jaws and…_

Foxpaw woke up with a start. His heart was pounding and the moss of his nest was scattered about the den. He got up, giving himself a quick grooming, and stepped out of the den. The moon was just setting, and the sky was full of stars. Foxpaw couldn't shake off the clinging cobwebs of his dream, so he decided to go out into the forest.

Foxpaw lashed his gray tail and padded up the side of the hollow. Snowshade, who was keeping watch, nodded as he went past. Foxpaw nodded in return and pulled himself over the rim of the hollow.

The night air was chilly, but Foxpaw felt warm under his thick coat. Leaf-fall was coming, he could tell, and it was coming soon.

The leaves on the trees rustled in the breeze as Foxpaw strode into the dense green trees. His paws turned towards the stream that ran through the far side of LilyClan's territory. Once there, he sat on a flat rock and stared out over the water.

Foxpaw found himself thinking about the gray tabby from his dream. She was the most beautiful cat he had ever seen, until she turned into the dog of course. His thoughts never strayed from her that night and he found that he couldn't stop thinking about her. It was then that he realized, _I think I'm in love with an imaginary cat! Great, now everyone will think I'm crazy._

_**A/N: **__**Well, I hope you like the first chapter! The actual story part was 1,167 words, I think I blew my own mind. Well, review please! This is only my second story on here so it would be helpful if you would tell me how to improve. Thanks so much! Remember, review!**_

_**I accept flames and nice reviews. I don't break down very easily so you can be pretty harsh! ;)**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two- Willowpaw (The Next Day)

Willowpaw stood and stretched, looking for Foxpaw. Willowpaw had been told that Foxpaw and he were to clean out the elders' den. Foxpaw wasn't in his nest so Willowpaw yawned and trotted happily out of the leafy den.

Willowpaw glanced around the clearing; but alas, it was in vain. Willowpaw sat down several tail lengths away from the path that led into the hollow to wait for his friend.

A cold breeze blew through the clearing, rustling the leaves on the bushes that surrounded the bottom of the hollow. The trees on the west side of the camp had begun to shed their leaves. Dried leaves lay on the ground beneath them. The air was crisp and pleasantly cool, and the sky was cloudless and blue.

Suddenly, there was a mini-rockslide and Foxpaw appeared over the rim of the hollow. He looked tired but happy. Willowpaw noticed that his black and gray fur was fluffed out, keeping the cold from seeping into his fur. _I wonder where he's been._

Willowpaw's ears flicked back and forth as his clan mates squeezed out of their dens. By scent, Willowpaw recognized Dustfeather, Nightclaw, and Minnowheart checking out the remains of last night's fresh-kill pile. Snowshade and Blackpaw were coming towards the path that led out of the camp. Blackpaw mewed a greeting as he passed, and Snowshade nodded in a friendly way.

Finally Foxpaw reached the bottom and stopped beside Willowpaw. "Hey, were you waiting for me?"

"Yes," Willowpaw replied, "I was waiting for you. Cedarfur asked me to tell you that it was our turn to take care of the elders."

Foxpaw gave an exasperated sigh and meowed, "Okay, we had better get started if we want to do anything else today."

The two young toms padded towards the elders' den which consisted of three holly bushes with lilies lining the outside. The bushes' leaves hung low, so that the toms had to duck to enter. The inside of the den was dug out making more room for the elders. "Well hello there! Are you two here to 'care' for us today?" a dark brown she-cat asked.

"Yes, what would you like us to start with, Molewing?" Willowpaw asked kindly.

Foxpaw glared at the elders, which made Molewing's yellow eyes glint with humor. "Could you start with the bedding? Frostpelt here wants to sleep."

Frostpelt snorted at this, "No, you want me to sleep. I want to go hunting."

"You need to rest! Remember, you were the one complaining about aching joints this morning." Molewing mewed, turning towards the two apprentices. "Which reminds me, could you ask Nightflower for some ragwort leaves and a poppy seed when you get mouse-bile?" Molewing inquired.

"Of course we will, Molewing. Now let's get started Foxpaw." Willowpaw replied, turning to Foxpaw.

Foxpaw grumbled a response and the two apprentices got to work. Since most of the bracken and moss was dried out, the Willowpaw and Foxpaw cleared all of the bedding out.

Once finished with the old bedding, they climbed the path in the midst of the sharp rocks to the rim of the hollow. The sun had risen into the sky, and it shone brightly as they padded over the moor towards the trees that lay ahead.

Willowpaw was getting hot by the time they reached the edge of the dense forest, so when they entered he relished the feel of cool grass under his pads and shade on his back. Foxpaw was quiet as they made their way up to the big clump of moss on an oak. _I wonder what's getting at him, _Willowpaw wondered.

Willowpaw stretched his claws and plucked a clump of moss of the tree trunk. Foxpaw was doing the same beside him. Willowpaw glanced down at the moss he had clawed away from the bark. It was clear of dirt and thorns, so he clawed some more off of the tree.

Finally, the toms finished gathering both moss and bracken. It was sun-high when they were able to form the nests in the elders' den, and after that they had to do ticks. Yuck!

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'``'`'`'`'`'`'``'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'

Willowpaw squeezed himself through the entrance to the cave that served as the medicine cat's den. Nightflower was sorting herbs, making two piles. One of them looked green and fresh; the other looked a little bit dried. "Hey, Nightflower, can I have some mouse-bile, a poppy seed, and um… some ragwort leaves for Frostpelt?"

Nightflower looked up from her sorting and gave him a friendly nod. "Of course! Just give me a second and I'll get everything ready for you."

The black she-cat slid into her den made of ferns and Willowpaw heard the sounds of her shaking a poppy head. Finally, she came out carrying a stick with moss that reeked of mouse bile, and strong smelling leaves and a poppy seed wrapped in an oak leaf.

Just as she appeared, Mousepaw, the medicine cat apprentice, squeezed into the den. "Oh great, you're here Mousepaw! Will you help Willowpaw carry these to the elders' den?" Nightflower asked.

"Of course," Mousepaw said, stepping forward to take the leaf wrap.

Willowpaw grabbed the stick gingerly between his teeth and motioned with his tail towards the entrance. Willowpaw led the way out of the den and under the elders' bushes. They both set down their burdens on the hard den floor near the entrance. Mousepaw nodded and left. "Thank you!" Willowpaw called after him.

Foxpaw had already started on Stonepetal, removing the tics and fleas that he could without mouse-bile. Willowpaw padded over to Frostpelt and began the fur behind his ears. "Frostpelt, could you tell me where the tics are?" he asked the old white tom.

"Yes, yes of course. There's one on my side and one behind the opposite ear that you're searching." Frostpelt replied.

Willowpaw moved to the other ear and cracked the plump tic between his teeth. Frostpelt purred in satisfaction while Willowpaw lowered his head to his side. The tic there was embedded deep in the elder's flesh, so Willowpaw had to dab it with mouse-bile. After that, the tic pulled away from the elder in disgust. At this, Willowpaw cracked it, too, until its hard shell collapsed. "All right Frostpelt. Anything else that you need removed?"

"No, thank you though," Frostpelt replied, nodding his head thankfully.

"No problem," Willowpaw meowed.

By this time Foxpaw had finished both Stonepetal and Liontail. He began picking through Molewing's fur, so Willowpaw padded up to Darkclaw. "Hello, Darkclaw," he said.

"Hello young'n. I only have one on my side, but I can get that one by myself." Darkclaw replied, nonchalantly.

"Oh, could I hear a story then?" Willowpaw asked, remembering that Darkclaw loved telling tales.

Darkclaw flicked his ears in surprise. "Of course I will. You're the first apprentice to ask in days. Let's see… oh, I know. You'll love this one." Darkclaw exclaimed to Willowpaw.

Foxpaw cracked a last tic between his teeth and went to join Willowpaw to hear the story. "Okay… how should I begin this one?" Darkclaw muttered to himself. "Oh, I know! I'll begin at Firestar," he added.

Willowpaw shifted on his paws excitedly. He had heard the end of this story before, and he thought it sounded exciting. Foxpaw on the other hand, settled down quietly looking bored. Stonepetal and Molewing went out to enjoy the last of the sun, and Frostpelt and Liontail slept in the corner.

"Well, once a long time ago, there was this fire colored tom…" Darkclaw began.

_**A/N:**_** Well, here's a new chapter! I hope that you all like it, and I hope that you will like what is to come, too. Now, I'm going to go eat breakfast. Ba-bye! –Moonlit Demise**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three- Foxpaw

"Well, once a long time ago there was a fire colored tom whose name was Rusty. He would have dreams of leaving his two-leg home and hunting in the forest. One night he actually left his nest and went into the leafy greenness. He met an apprentice, who was at the beginning of his apprenticeship. The apprentice play fought with him, and after that they talked. Then the apprentice, Graypaw, smelt his leader and one of the senior warriors. He told Rusty to leave quickly, but Rusty hesitated to long and they were caught. Unexpectedly, Bluestar asked Rusty if he wanted to join ThunderClan. He asked if he could think about it and Bluestar told him that Lionheart, the senior warrior, would be there at sun-high the next day.

Rusty went to his two-leg nest and decided to join ThunderClan. He went and found Lionheart. There was another respected senior warrior with him, Whitestorm. The warriors led him to their camp and there was a fight between one of the younger warriors and Rusty. In the midst of the fight, Rusty's two-leg collar snapped and Bluestar took it as a sign that StarClan had accepted him into the Clan. She renamed him Firepaw after his fiery colored pelt.

Firepaw befriended Graypaw and another apprentice, Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw's mentor, Tigerclaw, was a cruel cat. Ravenpaw told Firepaw that Tigerclaw killed the old deputy, Redtail. Now, Lionheart was the deputy and Tigerclaw was angry that he didn't get to be deputy.

Throughout Firepaw's apprenticeship two other apprentices, Sandpaw and Dustpaw, terrorized him. Later Sandpaw became less hostile, while Dustpaw stayed the way he was. Firepaw and Graypaw finally became warriors for rescuing WindClan and for defeating ShadowClan's evil leader, Brokenstar. WindClan had been chased out of their home by the Brokenstar and his warriors.

Now that Brokenstar was defeated Tigerclaw was the only threat left. He had become deputy after Lionheart died in a battle with ShadowClan. Also, Tigerclaw had tried to kill Ravenpaw for knowing too much. Thankfully Fireheart, Firepaw then, was able to lead Ravenpaw to a loner named Barley. Ravenpaw was safe and happy.

Tigerclaw tried to kill Bluestar by leading a pack of rogues into the camp and having them distract the warriors while he went into Bluestar's den to kill her. Fireheart came into the den in time to save his beloved leader, but the damage had been done. Bluestar lost her mind.

Fortunately Bluestar was able to keep together long enough to exile Tigerclaw from the Clan. However, in their Clan tradition the leader must appoint a new deputy by moon high. Bluestar waited until after the deadline and appointed Fireheart as deputy past time.

The Clan thought that his deputyship was cursed because of the late appointing. Fireheart showed them wrong though when Tigerclaw, now the leader of ShadowClan, brought a pack of dogs to the forest. Fireheart came up with a plan to lure the dogs over the edge of the gorge that served as the boundary with RiverClan. The plan worked perfectly until Tigerstar stalled Fireheart long enough for the pack to catch up. The lead dog caught Fireheart and Fireheart would have been killed if not for the brave ThunderClan leader. She sacrificed herself for Fireheart and ThunderClan was saved.

However, Tigerstar wasn't finished. He brought a cruel Clan called BloodClan to the forest to force the clans to bend under his leadership. He tried to make Blood Clan obey him, but their leader called Scourge killed him in return. Then Scourge wanted the forest for himself and he gave the four Clans three days to give him their answer. The Clans wouldn't allow their beloved forest to be overrun by BloodClan. They stood and fought. In the battle, Fireheart, now Firestar, lost a life in a fight with Scourge. However, he had been granted nine lives by StarClan and he got back up. He killed Scourge and BloodClan retreated. The forest was saved!

Many seasons later, two-legs destroyed their home. But six cats had gone on a journey to the sun-drown place. They met a badger named Midnight, and she told of the destruction of their forest home. She said that they would have to leave and find a new place to live.

On the way home, one of the six warriors died saving a strange tribe from a lion called Sharp Tooth. The five remaining cats went home and told their Clans what Midnight had told them. The four Clans left the forest and traveled over the mountains where the tribe lived. The Tribe of Rushing Water took them in and fed them for a few sunrises before the Clans left to find their own home.

Finally, they reached their new home and they settled down nicely. In an amazing turn of events, three kits were born with the power of the stars in their paws. However, later they found out that one of them wasn't born with a power. The three weren't three, but two.

Much later, another kit as born and she had a power. The three were Lionblaze, who could not be hurt in battle, Jayfeather, who could read minds and emotions and get into your dreams, and Dovewing, the fourth kit who had the power to see and hear things that were impossibly far away.

Now, not only was there a place of paradise for dead ancestors, but there was a place of darkness and horror. The cats that were rejected from StarClan went there. The cats of the Dark Forest, as it was called, were training cats from the RiverClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan. They used these cats to fight an intense battle with the Clans. In this time, Firestar lost his last life, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Jayfeather's littermate, lost her life, Mosuefur, and elder, and Ferncloud, a queen died. It was a tragic event and their deaths were mourned, but the three had saved the lake territory! The four Clans were safe. " Darkclaw finished.

"Wow, that's a great story!" Willowpaw said bouncing up and down beside Foxpaw.

Foxpaw gave a grudging nod before answering, "Yeah, I guess so."

Darkclaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Yes, yes it is." he said proudly.

Foxpaw stood and stretched. His legs were stiff from the time of stillness that had occurred. The sun had long since reached the top of the trees in the south, and it was dusk. LilyClan was sharing tongues and eating. Foxpaw padded out of the elders' den with Willowpaw at his side._ It really was a great story…_ Foxpaw grudgingly thought to himself.

The two toms approached the fresh-kill pile thankfully sniffing each piece. Foxpaw grabbed a rabbit and a mouse for the elders and trotted to their den. He laid them on the floor for the snoring cats and left to find himself a meal.

He picked out a sparrow for himself, and padded over to where Willowpaw was already eating a shrew with the other apprentices. He sat between Blackpaw and Willowpaw and began to pick the feathers off of his sparrow.

After he finished he said goodnight to the other apprentices and left to curl up in his nest. It took Foxpaw a while to fall asleep, but finally his tired body fell into a deep slumber.

_He dreamed of the silver she-cat again. She was as beautiful as she had appeared as in his last dream. This time she didn't transform, but rather she led him to a quiet stream. They sat silently together for a while until she surprised him by speaking, "My name is Silvermist. I'm sorry that in your last dream I was interrupted by your thoughts."_

_Foxpaw jumped slightly at the sudden friendliness. "Um, it's okay. I'm Foxpaw, but I'm guessing that you already know that. Are you from StarClan?" he asked._

"_Yes, I am," she replied. "I have to go now. Sleep well, Foxpaw." _

_And with that, he fell into dreamless sleep…_

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'

The next morning, Foxpaw woke later than he usually did. The sun was already over the horizon, warming the cold earth. Foxpaw yawned widely and gave his fur a quick grooming. Willowpaw, Redpaw, Otterpaw, and Blackpaw were already awake, leaving him with Emberpaw and Littlepaw.

Emberpaw was snoring in the nest farthest to the west, with Littlepaw stirring beside him. Foxpaw shook his head, laughing silently at the younger apprentices.

As Foxpaw padded out of the apprentices' den, he took a quick drink from the stream. After lapping a few drops he trotted towards Speckleheart, who was eating a leftover mouse. "So what are we doing today, Speckleheart?" he asked.

Speckleheart looked up from her meal and said, "I thought we might do some battle training."

Foxpaw inwardly groaned. Battle was not his strong point. But however much he hated it, he was going to have to improve if he wanted to become a warrior. "Okay, may I eat before we leave?"

Speckleheart twitched her whiskers. "Of course, but be quick!"

The fresh-kill pile was holding more than it usually did after the nightly meal; there was a shrew, two mice, and a starling. Foxpaw picked out the shrew and gulped it down where he stood. His mouth watered after he finished it, and he wished that he could have had another one. _Oh well, I'll get more later._ Foxpaw marched over to his mentor, feeling a little bit better.

Littlepaw was just coming out of the apprentices' den, blinking in the bright sunlight. She bounced over to her mentor, Toadflight, who was sunning himself in wait for his apprentice. Foxpaw knew that they had been out late on the midnight patrol. Foxpaw understood why Toadflight had given the little tortoiseshell a break.

Speckleheart poked his side, jarring him out of his thoughts. "Are you ready to go, Foxpaw?" she asked purring.

"Yeah, let's leave." Foxpaw replied, his tail tip twitching.

The mentor and apprentice decided to go to the sandy basin on the moorland. There was also a small meadow with soft grass in the forest, but the sandy basin was closer to the camp.

After trekking to the basin, they made their way down it's sides. The sides weren't very long, but they were long enough and steep enough that if a cat fell from the top it would probably die.

Finally, they reached the bottom and stopped to rest. After a few moments of relaxation, Speckleheart had him stand and attack her. Foxpaw flew at his mentor, not giving her a moment to think about what he was doing. He landed square on her shoulders, flattening her to the ground. Speckleheart rolled over, squashing him to the ground. Foxpaw lay there with the wind knocked out of him.

Suddenly, he heard the pretty she-cat's voice telling him what to do. _Roll to the left!_ He rolled to the left. _Jab with your left paw, and then strike with your right._ He did what she told him and he found that it was working. _Leap onto her back now, and pin her down. Make sure that if she goes limp, you don't loosen your grip. _Foxpaw sprang onto his mentor's back, and pinned her down. Just as Silvermist had said, she went limp. He didn't loosen his grip, but rather tightened it. Speckleheart flew up, trying to fling him off, but he was ready for it. He jumped off of and landed on all four feet. Speckleheart was still recovering, so he jumped on her again. He gently moved his paw across her throat and said, "You're dead."

Speckleheart glared up at him, and then began to laugh. Foxpaw twitched his whiskers in amusement. Speckleheart stopped giggling and looked seriously at him. "Foxpaw, that was _very _good. If you would like, we could have your warrior assessment today."

Foxpaw's eyes widened, and his legs filled with adrenaline. "Oh, yes please!" he replied happily.

"All right, I want you to try catching rabbits, and then we'll move to forest prey." she agreed.

Foxpaw charged off, scaling the sides quickly. He tasted the air, and found the scent of rabbit. Foxpaw silently padded towards the sound. Setting down each paw lightly, he approached a young rabbit. It was nibbling on something, and was distracted. Foxpaw leaped and killed it, thanking StarClan for its life. He buried it under the turf and soil, and pranced off again. Foxpaw tasted the air, several times in vain, but finally came up with the scent of rabbit. It was strong and nearby.

Foxpaw followed the scent and saw two rabbits playing with each other. Foxpaw silently plodded towards them, changing his course according to the wind. He finally got in pouncing range and sprang onto the first one. He killed it quickly and gave chase to the other one. He usually would have buried the other one, but he knew that Speckleheart was following him.

Once he caught the other rabbit he went back to where he had caught the other one. It was buried and Speckleheart was standing beside it holding his first rabbit. "Let's move to forest prey now, but first we're going to take this back to the Clan." she meowed.

Speckleheart carried the two smaller rabbits, while Foxpaw brought the larger one back to camp. When they reached the hollow, the sun-high patrol was just leaving. They gawked at Speckleheart believing the rabbits were hers. When Speckleheart told them that they were all Foxpaw's the attention turned towards him. The warriors congratulated him, while Littlepaw and Blackpaw looked at him in awe. Foxpaw began to feel uncomfortable, and thanked StarClan when Speckleheart moved on to the camp.

They set down Foxpaw's catch quickly and left with quite a few stares at Foxpaw. Speckleheart led the way to the tall oak, birch, pine, and aspen forest. Speckleheart halted once they were deep inside of the comforting trees and said, "I want you to catch as much prey as you can before I approach you, okay?" she commanded.

Foxpaw nodded and immediately tasted the air. He caught the scent of mouse and headed away from Speckleheart. The wind was in his favor and he caught the mouse quick and clean. He tasted the air again, and found the scent of a water vole. He plodded towards the prey, hoping that it wouldn't be gone by the time he got there.

Finally he spotted it scraping a hole in the ground. Foxpaw fell smoothly into a hunting crouch and stalked his prey. The vole was busily uncovering a nut, which gave Foxpaw all the time in the world. Foxpaw reached pouncing distance and took one more step forward. His paw crunched a twig and the vole darted back to his home. Foxpaw cursed himself and rolled his eyes.

He tasted the air once again and scented a sparrow. Careful not to step on any twigs or leaves, he stalked the bird. It was pecking at the ground. Foxpaw leapt on top of it, killed it, and buried it.

After he had found good luck catching a vole and two robins, Speckleheart walked up to him. "You did an incredible job today Foxpaw. I believe that you are ready to become a warrior." she meowed, her eyes sparkling.

Foxpaw bounced up and down in excitement. He was going to become a warrior!

Foxpaw carried the two robins and the mouse, while carried the sparrow and the vole. When they reached the camp for the second time, Foxpaw basked in the attention he was getting. After they had dropped Foxpaw's catch on the fresh-kill pile, Speckleheart went to talk to Dawnstar. Foxpaw grabbed one of his rabbits, a sparrow, and a mouse for the elders. He brought the prey to their den, and left it with Liontail.

Now that he had taken care of his duties, he grabbed a vole for himself and sat with Littlepaw in the ferns. It was nice and cool in the fronds, and Foxpaw was happy. _If I become a warrior, Silvermist, it was you who made it possible. Thank you…_

Foxpaw took a bite of his vole and relished the flavor. This was the last article of prey that he would eat as an apprentice, he hoped.

"You caught a lot of prey today, Foxpaw." Littlepaw commented.

Foxpaw looked at the younger apprentice and nodded. "Yeah, that was the best I've ever done."

Littlepaw licked her shoulder and said, "Are you going to be a warrior now?"

Foxpaw sighed and replied, "I hope so!"

Littlepaw looked up at the larger tom. "We will miss you in the apprentice den."

Just then, Willowpaw bounced over to them with Blackpaw following. They both held a piece of fresh-kill to eat, and they settled down to gobble them up. Willowpaw glanced over at Foxpaw excitedly. "Guess what!?"

"What?"

"I'm going to be a warrior!" Willowpaw exclaimed.

Foxpaw brightened at this. "Me too, Willowpaw!"

The two toms excitedly gulped their prey and went into the apprentices' den to groom their ruffled fur. They groomed themselves until their fur shone like a stream in the sun. Just as they finished, Dawnstar called a meeting. _Could this be my warrior ceremony or is it something else?_

Foxpaw padded out of the den with Willowpaw in tow. Dawnstar stood on the branch of the middle and tallest tree. Her pelt gleamed in the faint sunlight. "Cats of LilyClan, I have great news tonight. We are going to have two new warriors in our midst! Foxpaw, Willowpaw, step forward."

Willowpaw calmly stepped to the front of the crowd. Foxpaw did too, but in a more excited way. "Cedarfur, are you satisfied with Willowpaw's training?"

"I am. He has excellent fighting and hunting skills, and will be an asset to this Clan."

Dawnstar nodded and looked up at the sky, where stars were appearing. "I, Dawnstar, leader of LilyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard and has learned the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn," Dawnstar meowed, looking down at Willowpaw.

"Willowpaw, do you promise to protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Willowstorm. StarClan honors your patience and determination and we welcome you as a full warrior of LilyClan."

Willowstorm looked ready to burst with pride. "Willowstorm! Willowstorm!" the Clan chanted.

Foxpaw was nervous. It was his turn now. _Thank you Silvermist, for the help in battle._

"Speckleheart, are you satisfied with Foxpaw's training?"

"I am, very much so. He excels at hunting most of all, but he beat me in battle practice today." Speckleheart confirmed.

Dawnstar had a brief look of shock on her face before going on. "I, Dawnstar, leader of LilyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard and has learned the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Foxpaw, do you promise to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Foxpaw said nervously.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Foxpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Foxwhisker. StarClan honors your speed and independence and we welcome you as a full warrior of LilyClan."

"Foxwhisker! Foxwhisker!"

Foxwhisker puffed out his chest in pride. He was finally a warrior!

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'

Foxwhisker and Willowstorm sat silently, staring at the entrance. Foxwhisker was alert and ready to fight anyone or anything that dare came towards the camp. He flexed his claws, in and out, in and out. This was his home and he would fight for it.

It was hard to stay awake for the whole night, but Foxwhisker and Willowstorm accomplished it. The sun was barely peeking over the beautiful horizon, and Foxwhisker welcomed the warmth. It had been a cold night, as leaf-fall was rushing towards LilyClan.

Speckleheart padded out of the warriors den and stretched. She padded over to the newly named warriors and said, "You can go rest now."

"Thanks, Speckleheart." Foxwhisker told his old mentor.

The two toms headed into the warriors den and found empty moss. They curled up in the warm softness and fell into deep sleep.

_**A/N:**_** Well, how did you like it? This was my longest chapter EVER! 3, 411 words! YAY! Please review! Even if it's just 'I liked it!' or 'It wasn't as good as I thought it would be.' Or 'I hated it.' Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- Mystery Cat

A black she-cat slid out of the lush under growth that lined the meadow. There was the scent of many cats, but this didn't faze her. The she-cat had traveled to many places and met many cats, which hardened her to daunting things.

The sun had gone down, and she needed to find shelter soon. The sky was full of stars, but at the edges of the horizon dark clouds threatened to move in. She was traveling over moor land when suddenly the ground in front of her sloped downward into a hollow. The ground in the middle was hardened by the paw steps of many generations. The sides of the hollow had sharp rocks that stuck up at odd angles. The rocks would penetrate the hardest of pads, but there was a path leading downward in a straight line.

The she-cat closed her eyes for a moment, memories flooding her mind from many seasons before. She had spent time here before. She had had a mate and kits and all the friends one could wish for. But she had been exiled for a crime that was not her own.

Two cats sat in the center of the hollow, guarding the camp. They did not make a sound, so the black cat knew that they were new warriors. She was happy to see that her old Clan was still thriving, filling with new warriors.

A cool breeze blew and the black furred cat was glad to see that it blew in her favor. She sat down on the edge of the hollow, her black pelt blending with the shadows. The cats in the center did not make a move and she knew that they did not see her.

The cat was so very peaceful sitting there that she almost forgot the reason she was there. She had only wanted to find shelter, not find long buried memories. Her paws lifted her silently, leading her back the way she had come into the dark forest.

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Foxwhisker woke to a beautiful sun-high. The clan was gathered around Grayclaw waiting for orders. Darkwillow, Minnowheart and their apprentices left on a hunting patrol closely followed by Dawnstar, Speckleheart, and Whitewhisker on border patrol. Blizzardclaw, Snowshade, and Toadflight left to train their apprentices. Cedarfur, Kestrelsong, and Spiderfoot went on a hunting patrol together, laughing all the way up the path. The latter had been best friends since the nursery.

Just then Grayclaw walked over to me and said, "Would you two like to go on a hunting patrol with me?"

Foxwhisker looked behind him and saw Willowstorm grooming his pelt. He looked up from his fur long enough to sassily say, "Sure! Can I finish my grooming, oh great Grayclaw?"

Grayclaw's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Of course, Willowkit!"

Foxwhisker let out a purr of amusement and stood. "Well, if you two are quite finished, can we go now?"

"Yes, let's leave." Grayclaw agreed with a last glance behind to make sure we were following.

The ground beneath their paws was well drained and grassy. A cold wind flattened their fur and chilled them to the bone. The rabbits were all in their burrows, safe and warm. The forest was just ahead of them. Once inside, the wind was blocked by the thick undergrowth and tree trunks. The animals were still scrambling around for food.

Foxwhisker spotted a thrush cracking open a snail. He pounced on the bird and buried it for later. Foxwhisker then proceeded to catch a mouse, a robin, a sparrow, and a stray rabbit. Willowstorm caught a hawk that was diving for Foxwhisker's mouse.

Grayclaw had left them alone to hunt, walking off on his own. They had agreed to meet at the grassy meadow where the apprentices were training.

Willowstorm and Foxwhisker reached the grassy meadow first. They lay down and tucked their paws under their chests to wait. Littlepaw was doing a battle move, twisting in the air and landing on an unfortunate daisy. Toadflight nodded and Littlepaw bounced up and down.

Next, Otterpaw and Blackpaw had a mock fight. Otterpaw rushed in and landed a blow on Blackpaw's shoulder, but didn't dart away quick enough. Blackpaw hooked her paws out from under her and she landed on her side, winded. Blackpaw leapt on top of her and she went limp. Blackpaw loosened his grip on her shoulders and she sprang up, knocking the black tom away from her.

Otterpaw leapt on top of her opponent and held him down, pummeling his belly with her hind legs. In a real fight, Blackpaw would have run away into the bushes gasping for breath and heavily wounded. Otterpaw bounced around Blackpaw taunting him on his loss. Blizzardclaw intervened by stating that Littlepaw and Otterpaw would duel now.

Littlepaw crouched down and looked at Otterpaw's shoulders. Otterpaw guessed her moved and tried to dodge away, but Littlepaw had anticipated her movement and sprang where she would be. Littlepaw grappled with Otterpaw for a few more minutes until Littlepaw dashed to the side a millisecond before Otterpaw fell on top of her, and Otterpaw landed in the dust. Littlepaw surged onto Otterpaw's back and pummeled her spine with her hind legs. Otterpaw gave up and lay limp. However, Littlepaw didn't fall for it, instead she held her to the ground. Blizzardclaw called the match and Littlepaw flicked her tail happily.

"You guys good to go?" Grayclaw asked, startling both the younger toms into a standing position. Foxwhisker dug into the soft earth where he had buried the fresh-kill that he had caught. Willowstorm did the same and the patrol left the meadow.

The sun was going down as the toms padded into camp. The five huge trees cast shade from the sun, giving the camp a shadowy look. LilyClan was conversing and sharing tongues as always. Foxwhisker and Willowstorm set their prey down and took a rabbit to share. They ate with the other warriors and got to know them. Foxwhisker was happy with this life; clan mates, fresh-kill, and the stars. This was how LilyClan was supposed to live.

_**A/N:**_** Sorry for the shortness and poor quality of this chapter, but I'm hot and I have a slight case of writer's block. But to no avail! It will be over soon. Ta-ta! –Moonlit Demise**

**(Hey to all you readers! I only have two reviews and 77 views. PLEASE REVIEW! It makes for a happy author.)**

**DTK's Biggest Fan: Alright, I have plans for Foxwhisker, but she would work for Willowstorm! :D**

**Also, could someone tell me how to get a beta reader? I am going to begin another story.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five- Foxwhisker

_**A/N:**_** Just so ya'll know, Foxwhisker is not going to leave on the journey for a long while. At the end of the book, (probably the last two or three chapters) he will start, then the second book will be all about the journey, and the third book will have when they get there and what happens then. **

**Anyways, I haven't done one of these yet so… **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. I only own the stuff that ISN'T in the books. **

Foxwhisker woke to the sun slanting through the leaves of the warriors den. He sat up licking his paw and drawing it over his ear. Most of the other warriors were still asleep, but Foxwhisker noticed that Grayclaw, Speckleheart, Cedarfur, Blizzardclaw, and Toadflight were gone. Foxwhisker stretched and gave his fur a quick grooming, twisting around to clean his back.

Once finished, Foxwhisker padded out of the warriors' den and into the sunlit clearing. The hollow was bathed in light the color of honey. The stream beside the apprentices' den lapped hungrily at its banks. A cold wind blew through the camp giving it a chilly demeanor.

Foxwhisker saw Toadflight padding out of the medicine cat den with Nightflower glancing out behind him. She shook her head and disappeared back into the hollowed out rock. Toadflight reached the fresh-kill pile and grabbed two mice. Foxwhisker guessed that one was for Nightflower and the other for Toadflight.

There was a small rockslide as Grayclaw, Speckleheart, Cedarfur, Blizzardclaw, and Otterpaw returned from the dawn patrol. Blizzardclaw had caught a robin, and she laid it on the tiny fresh-kill pile. Dawnstar padded out of her den, lifting her face to the sky and fluffing up her fur. Littlepaw emerged from the apprentices' den and yawned showing rows of sharp teeth. Foxwhisker nodded to her and walked towards Grayclaw. "Is there anything I can do, Grayclaw?" he asked.

Grayclaw looked at him and flicked his ear. "Yes, can you lead Willowstorm, Whitewhisker, and Littlepaw on a hunting patrol? Toadflight had a cough last night, and Nightflower is worried that he might have whitecough. Littlepaw will want to do something today and it's not her turn to take care of the elders."

Foxwhisker nodded and padded nervously into the warriors den. He had never led a patrol before! Whitewhisker was already awake, but Willowstorm was still snoring in his nest. Foxwhisker woke him and left the den.

As Foxwhisker approached Littlepaw she looked up and twitched her whiskers. "Hi, Foxwhisker, what's going on?" she asked the older tom.

Foxwhisker lashed his tail in excitement. "Grayclaw asked me to lead a hunting patrol, and he said to bring you."

Littlepaw looked surprised for a moment then purred, "Congratulations on leading your first patrol then! But Toadflight said that we were going to do some battle training today so I can't go with you."

Foxwhisker looked over at the medicine cat's den and meowed, "Toadflight had a cough last night and Nightflower is worried that it might be whitecough, so you actually _can_ go with me."

Littlepaw nodded and went to get a piece of fresh-kill. Whitewhisker came out of the warriors' den, followed by Willowstorm who was yawning widely and blinking in the bright sunlight. Foxwhisker padded over to them and said, "Littlepaw is just eating and then we will go."

Whitewhisker nodded and sat down, while Willowstorm paced around, trying to wake up more. Littlepaw finished and bounded over to the toms. "I'm ready to go now!" she meowed excitedly.

Foxwhisker led the way out of the hollow and onto the moorland. The wind was even stronger there, and it ruffled the cats' fur as they trudged to the forest. When they finally reached the trees, the wind was blocked to a pleasant breeze. The lush undergrowth enclosed the four cats, blocking their view of the moorland. "How about we split up? We are such a large group that we will scare away all of the fresh-kill. I'll go with Whitewhisker and Willowstorm, you go with Littlepaw." Foxwhisker meowed.

Willowstorm nodded and beckoned to Littlepaw. Whitewhisker gestured for Foxwhisker to lead the way and he awkwardly stepped in front of him. Foxwhisker tasted the air, scenting a vole nearby. Whitewhisker was in a better position to catch it and Foxwhisker signaled that he should. Whitewhisker crept forward and pounced on it. He buried it and Foxwhisker led the way deeper into the forest. As he tasted the air again, he scented a blackbird and a squirrel. The scent of blackbird was faint, so Foxwhisker followed the squirrel. He finally saw it burying an acorn. It never saw him coming, and Foxwhisker pounced on the unaware animal.

It was nearly sun-high by the time they met up with Willowstorm and Littlepaw. Both halves of the patrol had had good hunting. Whitewhisker carried his vole, and two mice. Foxwhisker held a squirrel, a robin, the blackbird, and a shrew. Littlepaw had done well catching a rabbit and a vole. Willowstorm had not done his usual best, only catching a swallow, and a dove. Willowstorm shrugged and carried Littlepaw's vole for her.

When they got back to camp, LilyClan was gathered around the largest oak. Apparently Dawnstar had called a meeting.

Otterpaw and Redpaw were sitting under the large oak, facing the clan with pride plastered on their faces. _They're going to become warriors._ Foxwhisker guessed quickening his pace so that he could reach the camp before the meeting was over.

Foxwhisker set down his prey and sat at the back of the group. "Otterpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ottersong. StarClan honors your courage and strength and we welcome you as a full warrior of LilyClan." Dawnstar meowed, jumping down and resting her head on Ottersong's shoulder. Ottersong ceremonially licked her shoulder and stepped back to sit with the other warriors. "Ottersong! Ottersong!" LilyClan chanted.

Dawnstar raised her tail for silence. "Darkwillow, has Redpaw completed his training?"

"Yes, he has. He has excelled at fighting and will be an asset to this Clan." Darkwillow agreed.

Dawnstar nodded and looked up at the sky. "I, Dawnstar, leader of LilyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Redpaw, do you promise to protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Redpaw said, his voice ringing out clearly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name, Redpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Redfrost. StarClan honors your bravery and skill and we welcome you as a full warrior of LilyClan." Dawnstar meowed, looking down proudly at her clan.

"Redfrost! Redfrost!" LilyClan called.

Redfrost ducked his head in embarrassment as cats crowded around him, calling him by his new name. The cats encircled Ottersong, who lifted her chin proudly.

Redfrost and Ottersong got first pick of the fresh-kill pile, then the rest of the cats ate. Foxwhisker chose a dove for himself, and went to sit down by the other warriors. The warriors ate and conversed, nudging each other in a friendly way and joking around. Ottersong and Redfrost happily joked with the other warriors, fitting in with them. Foxwhisker sat between Blizzardclaw and Dustfeather, with Willowstorm directly across from him.

Littlepaw was sitting alone, away from the other apprentices. She looked lonely, picking at her shrew. Foxwhisker stood and picked up his own untouched fresh-kill. As he padded over to the apprentice, she looked up. A look of happiness flashed across her face and she gestured that he should sit in front of him. Foxwhisker's tail twitched nervously. _Why am I so nervous?_

Foxwhisker lay down in front of Littlepaw. "Hey, I thought you looked lonely."

Littlepaw nodded shyly. "Yeah, I was. Thanks for coming and sitting with me."

Foxwhisker twitched his ear. "You're welcome."

For a few minutes the warrior and apprentice ate in silence. The conversation of the other warriors drifted towards them on the light breeze. The sun had fully gone down, and many of the warriors had gone to their nests. The other apprentices had eaten closer to the warriors, so that they could listen to them laugh and talk. Littlepaw had sat alone, because the other apprentices had sat in the center of the clearing and she wanted to sit in the ferns.

As Foxwhisker and Littlepaw watched, Grayclaw stood and walked over to them. Littlepaw ducked her head, but Foxwhisker nodded to the gray tabby. Grayclaw told Foxwhisker that he would be leading the dawn patrol the next morning, and that he could choose who to take. Foxwhisker nodded in reply and Grayclaw went to the warriors' den. Foxwhisker finished, said good-bye to Littlepaw, and left for his nest. He curled up in the soft moss and fell asleep.

**_A/N:_ Well, that's it! Hope you like it. Also, could someone tell me how to get a beta reader? I have another story that I want a beta reader for.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six- Mallowkit

"Mallowkit, what are you doing!? You can't go outside yet, your eyes aren't even open!" Blossomfrost exclaimed.

Mallowkit sighed and followed her mother's voice. Her eyes were sticky and it stung when she tried to open them, but she did anyways. The nursery was bright, and the light hurt her eyes. As Mallowkit squinted around the nursery, Blossomfrost padded over to pick her up and bring her to their nest. As soon as Mallowkit caught sight of her, she gasped. She was beautiful! Her eyes were a piercing green and her tortoiseshell and white fur was soft. _I wonder what color my eyes are? _

"Mommy, what color are my eyes?" Mallowkit asked.

Blossomfrost looked down at her daughter and purred. "You finally opened your eyes!" she exclaimed.

Mallowkit nodded. "Yes, I did, but what color are they? Are they green or like daddies?"

"They are a beautiful green," Blossomfrost purred.

Mallowkit bounced around happily. Her eyes were green! Her eyes were _green_!

Hollowkit was still asleep in the nest, but Mallowkit could make out Lightkit's form at the entrance to the nursery. She could barely see a sliver of sunlight in the hollow, outside. Suddenly a gray shape blocked the sunlight and a gray tabby pushed his way in. Lightkit jumped away, nearly getting himself squashed by the big tabby. Blossomfrost purred above her, and Mallowkit recognized the scent of her father, Grayclaw.

Grayclaw was the deputy of LilyClan, and Mallowkit was proud that she had such an important father. Her mother was just a regular warrior, but everyone said that she was a great fighter. Mallowkit couldn't imagine the pretty tortoiseshell with her teeth bared and her claws outstretched at an enemy. No, Mallowkit's idea of her mother was a kind, calm, beautiful mother, not a strong, mean, fighting warrior!

Mallowkit sighed as Hollowkit woke with a stupid look on his face. Hollowkit was _not_ a bright kit. He couldn't do _anything_! He was always sleeping or eating, and he was getting downright _fat_. Mallowkit found this quite annoying.

Lightkit turned towards their father and attacked his tail. Grayclaw said, "Oh no! The great Lightkit is going to defeat me!" then gently pushed him off. Mallowkit sprang at him with Lightkit recovered and at her side. "And now Mallowkit is here!" he meowed, adding a dramatic fall.

Mallowkit giggled, attacking his tail, while Lightkit attacked his ears. Mallowkit gently took his tail in her teeth and shook it like a dog. Lightkit cuffed him over the ears, and Grayclaw stood up shaking them off with a gentle purr. "You two are going to be great warriors," he meowed, purring loudly.

Blossomfrost shook her head lightly, and poked Hollowkit with her paw. Hollowkit sat up slowly. "Is it time to eat, because I'm hungry," he muttered.

Blossomfrost sighed at her inactive son and pulled him out of the nest. "No it's not time to eat, but your father is here. Say hello," she meowed impatiently.

"Hello," Hollowkit grumbled, pulling himself back into the nest.

Blossomfrost sighed, "I don't know what's wrong with him! All he does is sleep and eat. He hasn't even opened his eyes yet!"

Grayclaw let his tail rest on her shoulder. "I know, he'll grow out of it," Grayclaw assured her.

Mallowkit sat down with a _bump_ and licked her mother's side. "Yeah, he'll grow out of it."

Blossomfrost heaved a sigh and stretched. Grayclaw's tail twitched and he meowed, "Well, I have to go now. I'll come and see you later kits!"

Mallowkit nodded to her father and turned to her mother. "Now that my eyes are open can I go see the camp?"

Lightkit nodded vigorously to show that he agreed. "Yeah, hold on a second! I'll open my eyes now."

Mallowkit hadn't noticed that her brother's eyes were not open. Now, she watched as his eyes cracked open to slits. "It's really bright!" he exclaimed. "The nursery is _huge_!" he added.

Mallowkit purred at how naïve her brother was. Even though she had only just opened her eyes, it was funny to watch Lightkit. Lightkit's eyes were bright blue, like their father's. His face kind of creeped her out, since it was so pale against his dark fur, but Mallowkit figured that she would get used to it.

"Alright, you may go outside, but so _not_ get under any cat's paws, okay?" she commanded.

Mallowkit nodded and bounded to the den entrance. As she peeked out, she gasped at the size of the whole camp. It was even bigger than the nursery! There were tons of cats that she knew she would know by name in time, and there were several dens. Two apprentices were practicing their fighting moves in the hollow. One was a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, and the other a black tom. The tortoiseshell was slim and graceful, but the black tom was large and heavy. They looked like they were having fun.

Mallowkit's gaze traveled around the rest of the camp. She spotted another apprentice coming out from under a holly bush with moss tucked under his chin. From the description her mother had given, Mallowkit knew that it was the elders' den.

Suddenly, she felt a nudge from behind as Lightkit tried to get out. Embarrassed, she leapt out of the way, making Lightkit fall on his face. He got up, drew a paw over his face a few times, and glared at her. Mallowkit shrugged and padded off in the direction of a big rock. From where she was she could tell that it was hollowed out on the inside. _The medicine cat's den_, she guessed.

Mallowkit led the way over to it, with Lightkit in tow, when suddenly a brown tabby burst out of the den. Mallowkit leapt back in surprise, her ears flattening and her fur fluffing up. The tom bounded over to Grayclaw, happily telling him something. Grayclaw nodded and replied. The brown tabby tom padded up to a bush and disappeared inside of it. He emerged a few seconds later, followed by a black and gray tom, and a pale gray tom. They went over to the tortoiseshell apprentice, conversing quietly, and then climbed the path that led up the skyline. Mallowkit guessed that was how everyone got out of camp.

Lightkit touched her shoulder with his tail tip and beckoned to the nursery where Blossomfrost was calling. He said something, but Mallowkit didn't hear. Her vision started to blacken, and her body swayed from side to side. The world was twisting in circles, and Mallowkit felt sick. Lightkit suddenly looked alarmed, and Blossomfrost rushed over. The last thing that Mallowkit saw was a black she-cat emerging from the rock.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Mallowkit woke up in an unfamiliar den, with the black and gray tom she had seen earlier bending over her. His face changed to a look of thankfulness and he called to the black she-cat, "She's awake, Nightflower!"

The black she-cat looked up, rushing over to where Mallowkit lay in a nest of moss and bracken. "Thank you, Foxwhisker. You can leave now," she replied.

The black and gray tom left, and Mallowkit was left alone with Nightflower. The older she-cat pushed some leaves into her nest and said, "Eat these. They will help you get your strength back."

Mallowkit obeyed, and lapped up the leaves. She nearly spat them back out as their flavor seeped onto her tongue, but realized that Nightflower was the medicine cat and the leaves were herbs. She swallowed the bitter herbs, and immediately another leaf was pushed into her nest. This leaf had sticky goo on it. Mallowkit experimentally lapped at it. It was sweet and it slid down her throat slowly, giving her a pleasant felling. Mallowkit lapped more vigorously until she tasted leaf instead of sweet, then pulled back.

Nightflower purred and meowed, "I'm glad to see you're awake, little one."

Mallowkit tensed at the word 'little', but then relaxed when she realized that she _was_ little. "What happened?" she asked hesitantly.

"You blacked out from the sight of the camp, and then Blossomfrost brought you in here. You were out from sun-high until dusk. You're going to sleep her tonight, just so that I can keep an eye on you," Nightflower explained.

Mallowkit sighed and asked, "Then can I at least eat? I'm absolutely _starving_!"

Nightflower laughed, "That's a good sign. I'll go get Blossomfrost."

After eating her fill, Mallowkit went to sleep peacefully.

**A/N:**** Well, since I got two reviews I decided to make another chapter! Oh, and the tenth reviewer gets to either get one major character put in the story, or ask me one question (in a PM) about the story. If you're a guest, you must choose the character since you cannot PM. **

**Anyways, I still give you this question: How do I get a beta reader?**

**ALSO: I am now going to give out virtual cookies to those who get my new chapterly question right. Here's the question!**

**How many toms were mentioned in this chapter?**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven- Foxwhisker

Foxwhisker padded out of the medicine cat den, leaving Mallowkit with Nightflower. The little kit had just been out of the nursery for the first time, when her mind was pushed a little too far and she blacked out. Foxwhisker had been asked to watch her until she woke up, so that Nightflower would be able to know right away that Mallowkit was awake.

It was just after dusk and the night was cold. Foxwhisker fluffed up his fur, and entered the warriors den. The rest of the warriors, besides the dusk patrol, were huddled in their nests trying to keep warm. Foxwhisker curled up in his own nest beside Willowstorm. Willowstorm licked his forehead and the two toms shared tongues until Foxwhisker fell asleep.

_Foxwhisker woke in a mossy clearing. There were trees around him, but not LilyClan trees. The trunks were farther apart, and there was not as much undergrowth. Foxwhisker stood up, wondering where he was. He could barely see the dark night sky through the trees when he looked up. _

_There were strange cat scents in the clearing. They drenched the moss and tree trunks, and he saw paw prints in the dirt around the edges. Foxwhisker padded out of the clearing. He felt something tug at his heart, drawing him closer to a hole in the ground. He walked through it, passing a cat that was obviously on guard. The hollow was large and strange. The sides were smooth rock, and there were dens around the edges. A fresh-kill pile stood in the center of the hollow, small from the night's meal. Cats were snoring in the dens. _

_One thought went through his head; this is a clan!_

_Suddenly, he was transported back home. He was staring at the river where he went to think. Silvermist was beside him. "That is your future, Foxwhisker. You will go there with five other cats and live there for the rest of your lives. It will be your home," she whispered._

_Foxwhisker stared at her. "What are you talking about? My home is here; with LilyClan!"_

_Silvermist looked at him with sadness in her eyes. Her tail tip twitched and her ear flicked at the sounds of the forest. "Yes, this is your home for now. But in time that will become what this is to you now," she said, and then she disappeared without another word._

Foxwhisker woke with a start. He had had a weird dream, in which Silvermist had told him that he would be leaving LilyClan. His head was a chaos of questions; Where was he in the dream? Why had Silvermist told him that?

The warriors' den was still full, only missing Grayclaw and Darkwillow. Foxwhisker got to his feet and left the warmth of his nest. The morning was crisp, clear, and cold. The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon. Grayclaw and Darkwillow were standing in the center of the hollow, heads bent together talking. Darkwillow nodded and came towards Foxwhisker. "Do you want to come on the dawn patrol with us? We need another cat, too. Maybe Redfrost or Ottersong?" Darkwillow offered.

"Sure! I'll go get Redfrost from his nest." Foxwhisker replied.

Redfrost was curled up in the nest next to Ottersong on the outer edge of the den. Foxwhisker poked him with his paw, causing Redfrost to roll over, but not wake. Foxwhisker poked him again, and this time the ginger tom lifted his head. "What do you want?" he asked groggily.

"Dawn patrol, sleepy head," Foxwhisker replied, walking back out of the den.

Darkwillow and Grayclaw were still in the center of the hollow, but Grayclaw was pacing, trying to keep warm. Darkwillow just sat looking at the sky. Foxwhisker joined Grayclaw in pacing. It was a cold morning, with frost layered on top of every surface. The sun had barely moved since Foxwhisker had first come out of the warriors' den.

Redfrost appeared at his side, and Darkwillow stood up stretching each leg in turn. Grayclaw beckoned to the other warriors and led them out of the hollow. They patrolled the North and East border, renewing the scent markers and talking. The sun crawled slowly out from behind the landscape, and shed its glow across LilyClan territory. They found nothing unusual and went home undisturbed.

When they reached the rim of the hollow they heard Dawnstar calling a meeting. Apparently the moon-high patrol had found a rogue she-cat. Everyone was whispering in hushed voices, gossiping about what they had heard.

The she-cat stood in the middle of the clearing, her black pelt standing out against the hard light brown dirt. She had one fierce emerald green eye and a cloudy blue eye. Her white chest, paws, and belly shone in the bright sunlight. Her light gray tabby markings stood out against her shiny black coat. She looked small and timid, but a mischievous glint sparkled in her green eyes. Her blue eye stayed still while her green eye darted around. Foxwhisker guessed that the blue eye was blind.

Willowstorm was sitting at the back of the crowd, staring at the rogue. Dawnstar stood in the middle oak, calling for silence. LilyClan stopped their gossip, waiting for Dawnstar to speak. "As you all know, Holly has asked to join LilyClan. I have decided to let her become an apprentice, but only if she can keep up with Clan life. If she does not fit into the life of a warrior, we will not accept her as a warrior and she will have to leave. Now, let us have a ceremony."

"From this day forwards until she has either earned her warrior name, or had to leave, she will be known as Hollypaw. Spiderfoot, you have served your Clan well and give Hollypaw into your care. Pass on your skills to her." Dawnstar meowed.

"Hollypaw! Hollypaw!" Willowstorm called.

Foxwhisker, Darkwillow, Redfrost, Ottersong, the apprentices, and most of the other warriors joined in. Foxwhisker noticed Mallowkit sitting outside the medicine cat's den calling for the new apprentice.

Hollypaw looked nervous, but touched Spiderfoot's nose with her own. The two stepped back together and the meeting was adjourned. Littlepaw padded over to Foxwhisker. "Do you think she'll be good enough?" she wondered.

Foxwhisker shook his head helplessly. "I don't know, Littlepaw."

**_A/N:_ ****Well, hope you like it! **

**Question: What was different about the trees in his dream?**


	8. Chapter 8

(Updated allegiances)

LilyClan

Leader- Dawnstar, crème she-cat with green eyes

Deputy- Grayclaw, gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Medicine Cat- Nightflower, black she-cat with dark green eyes

Apprentice, Mousestripe, dusky brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits)

Kestrelsong, brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Darkwillow, black she-cat with amber eyes

Minnowheart, silver tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Emberpaw, black tom with orange splotches and green eyes

Spiderfoot, black tom with amber eyes and a white tipped tail

Apprentice, Hollypaw, black she-cat with a white chest, paws, underbelly, and tail tip and one emerald eye, and a blind blue eye with the center clouded out

Cedarfur, dark gray tom with amber eyes

Speckleheart, black she-cat with gray spots and blue eyes

Nightclaw, black tom with dark blue eyes

Blizzardclaw, white she-cat with blue eyes and very, very pale gray spots

Snowshade, white she-cat with black markings and blue eyes

Apprentice, Blackpaw, black tom with green eyes

Toadflight, brown tabby tom with hazel eyes

Apprentice, Littlepaw, small tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Whitewhisker, white tom with green eyes

Dustfeather, brown tabby tom with green eyes

Willowstorm, pale gray, almost white tom with dark green eyes

Foxwhisker, black and gray tom with amber eyes

Redfrost, dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Ottersong, dark ginger she-cat with bright blue eyes

Apprentices (kits over six moons in training to become warriors)

Littlepaw, small tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Emberpaw, black tom with orange splotches and green eyes

Blackpaw, black tom with green eyes

Hollypaw, black she-cat with a white chest, paws, underbelly, and tail tip and one emerald eye, and a blind blue eye with the center clouded out

Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Blossomfrost, tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes and white underbelly (mother of Mallowkit, orange tabby she-cat with a black face, legs, and tail-tip and green eyes, Lightkit, black tom with a dark crème face and blue eyes, and Hollowkit, gray tom with green eyes- mate of Grayclaw)

Vixencloud, ginger she-cat with white stripes and green eyes (expecting Whitewhisker's kits)

Elders (warriors and queens now retired)

Frostpelt, white tom with blue eyes

Darkclaw, dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Stonepetal, dark gray she-cat with amber eyes

Liontail, bright ginger tom with amber eyes

Molewing, dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Chapter Eight- Foxwhisker (two moons after the last chapter)

A cold wind blew through the camp, chilling Foxwhisker to the bone. The hollow was deserted of warriors, all except him. He was on watch. Foxwhisker's ears were pricked and his mouth was opened slightly to taste the air. He sat silently in the center of the clearing.

His ears caught the faint strains of some cat snoring. His ears flicked around, listening for a sign of an intruder. He stared up at the sky, wondering if Silvermist was watching him. It had been about a half moon since he had last seen her, and his dreams instead were filled with regular things; chasing prey, fighting badgers, sharing tongues… the normal stuff.

The moon was setting in the west, casting barely enough light to see. The stars were more visible now that the greater light was gone. They shed no light, causing complete darkness to enfold the warrior.

His pelt blended with the darkness, making him nearly invisible as he went to wake Minnowheart for his turn. As he entered the den he paused, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Once he could see shadows, he scented for the silver tom. He picked his way carefully through the other warriors' nests until he found Minnowheart's. Foxwhisker poked the silver warrior with an outstretched paw. Two blue orbs appeared in the lump of silver fur, blinking at the dark shape that stood over him. Minnowheart nodded silently and went to do his watch. Foxwhisker settled down in his nest and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

~`'~

Foxwhisker woke, blinking in the bright sunlight that streamed in through the top branches of the den. He lapped at his pelt several times before standing. There were few other warriors still sleeping in their nests, so Foxwhisker skirted their nests instead of heading straight through them.

Once outside, the sunlight was brighter than before. Foxwhisker spotted a cluster of warriors surrounding Grayclaw and padded into the throng. Grayclaw nodded to the new arrival and added him to a hunting patrol. The patrol left with Spiderfoot in the lead and Hollypaw right behind him. Redfrost, Kestrelsong, and Foxwhisker followed.

The patrol split up; Redfrost, Spiderfoot, and Hollypaw on the moorland, and Kestrelsong and Foxwhisker in the forest. They agreed to meet back at the training basin as soon as the tip of the sun touched the horizon. Foxwhisker nodded and gestured for Kestrelsong to take the lead.

Kestrelsong led Foxwhisker to a part of the forest that Foxwhisker had only hunted in two or three times. More often, Foxwhisker had patrolled this area, so he knew it well.

They pushed their way through the brittle undergrowth, scenting the air for prey. Kestrelsong signaled for a stop and pointed to a robin pecking in the roots of a monstrous aspen. She crouched low, her belly fur brushing the leaf mulch. The robin was still oblivious of the warrior that was about to kill it. Kestrelsong pounced on top of her prey and gave it a killing bite. She lifted her head proudly with the bird dangling from her mouth.

After Kestrelsong buried the bird, they headed deeper into the dense growth. Leaves were beginning to fall with the coming of leaf-bare. They scented the air several more times before Foxwhisker successfully killed a mouse. It was scrawnier than he was used to but he figured that it would have to do.

~`'~

The patrol met at the edge of red-rock basin. Hollypaw held a large rabbit and a stringy looking sparrow, but looked quite proud of herself. Redfrost was empty pawed. His head hung low in shame. Spiderfoot had fared better and was carrying a young hawk.

Spiderfoot dipped his head and stepped up to the front of the group. The wind was chilly as the hunting patrol made their way over the moorland to the hollow that served as the camp of LilyClan. AS they padded down the path, they met the dusk patrol on their way out. Ottersong looked proud to be leading it, with her chin up and her paw steps high. Littlepaw, Darkwillow, Toadflight, and Minnowheart trailed behind her. Darkwillow had a slightly amused look on her face, as if she and another warrior had shared a joke.

Foxwhisker dipped his head to the passing patrol, and followed Spiderfoot into camp. They laid their prey on the smaller fresh-kill pile and took something for themselves. Willowstorm invited Foxwhisker to share Hollypaw's rabbit with him, and Foxwhisker playfully accepted.

After sharing the rabbit they drowsily shared tongues, watching the other warriors mill around the clearing. Redfrost, Ottersong, and Hollypaw ate together on the other side of the clearing. Darkwillow and Kestrelsong shared tongues beside the warriors den.

Kestrelsong was a pretty she-cat; young and energetic. She had been made a warrior when Foxwhisker had reached his third quarter moon of training. They had shared a friendship that had evolved quickly, and today was one of his first patrols with her.

Willowstorm followed his gaze towards the pretty brown tabby, and chuckled. "So who are you going to pick?"

Foxwhisker shook himself out of his daze. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Willowstorm shook his head, laughing loudly. It took a moment for him to reply, "I mean that you have been padding after Littlepaw lately, and I know about your 'friendship' with Kestrelsong. Plus, now you're both warriors so it can maybe turn into a little something more, eh?"

Foxwhisker stared at his friend, trying to make his gaze as blank as possible. He tilted his head to the side, feigning a puzzled expression. "What in the name of StarClan are you talking about?"

The pale gray tom shook his head and rolled his eyes. They stood up from their brief time together and padded into the warriors den for a long sleep.

~`'~

(Hollypaw's POV)

Hollypaw stood up, swiveling her head around. Her view was small since she only had one eye that could see. She had been eating with Redfrost and Ottersong, afterwards padding into the apprentices' den. She had tried to sleep, but had failed drastically. Instead, she found herself growing restless to be outside.

She padded out of the apprentices' den through the narrow opening at the front. She took a deep breath of fresh night air. This was the time when she used to hunt, but now that she was with the clan, she stayed up during the day, instead.

A cold wind ruffled her fur, and Hollypaw shivered. She decided to try some night hunting.

As Hollypaw padded out of the camp, Cedarfur's eyes followed her shadowy shape curiously. She breathed a sigh of relief as she trotted over the crest of a hill, and out of sight.

The moon shone brightly in the sky, and Hollypaw found a hollow that was big enough for her. She snuggled herself into it, and found herself drifting to sleep.

~'`~

Hollypaw woke to the sound of paw steps. It was just barely dawn, and a patrol was passing by her. _The dawn patrol_ Hollypaw guessed. She huddled farther into the hollow, praying that they didn't see her. She did not want to answer any questions they might have. The paw steps paused for a moment, and Hollypaw caught the scent of Darkwillow, Redfrost, and Nightclaw. She held her breath as the patrol padded away. Hollypaw let her breath out noisily, thanking StarClan that they had not notice her.

After standing and stretching, Hollypaw yawned and trotted in the direction of camp. Suddenly, a familiar smell hit her nose. Her nose twitched as she recognized the scent of rabbit. She slowly crept towards the sweet smell, making sure to be silent and light. She finally spotted the creature nibbling on a clump of clover. Hollypaw pounced and landed square on the animal. She killed it with a swift blow to the neck, and grabbed it's scruff with her teeth.

Hollypaw held her head high, keeping her rabbit off of the ground. She could already see the drop off of the hollow. Her neck muscles ached from the extra weight, but she managed to make it to the rim of the hollow. _Yesterday's catch was worse! A rabbit _and _a sparrow, and Redfrost didn't even help!_

As Hollypaw padded into camp, Spiderfoot angrily approached her. "Where have you been, I've been looking all over for you!?"

Hollypaw set her prey on the top of a squirrel and a chaffinch and turned to face her mentor. She knew that he was only worried about her, but it still made her angry that he was so sharp. She collected herself before saying, "I was just doing a little bit of hunting before today's work. I'm sorry that I worried you."

Spiderfoot's neck fur lay flat, and the fur along his spine fell back into place. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Now, would you like to do some battle training?"

Hollypaw inwardly groaned, but nodded anyways. She knew she needed to work on her battle tactics and moves. Every time she practiced, she did something wrong and ended up flat on her face. It was annoying, but Hollypaw knew that it was part of Clan life.

~'`~

"Jump higher this time! You need more height before you can twist in the air." Spiderfoot called from the edge of the grassy meadow.

Hollypaw cursed herself for her fox-dung skills and picked herself up off of the ground. She had been trying this move for a very long time, and still had not got it.

The black apprentice leapt into the air, adding more strength to her leap. She twisted around in mid air, but landed heavily on her side…_ again._

"How about if we try that move in a mock battle, maybe you can get it then?" Spiderfoot suggested hopefully.

Hollypaw nodded and faced off with the older tom. They circled each other, looking for a point of weakness. Hollypaw feigned tripping, and Spiderfoot took the bait. He leapt at the younger cat, but Hollypaw was ready for him. She leapt into the air, twisted, and landed square on his back. She had just demonstrated the move perfectly!

Hollypaw jumped off her mentor and bounced around happily. That was the first advanced move she had mastered. Spiderfoot stood with a surprised look on his face. "Wow! I can't believe it; maybe we should try _all_ the moves in a mock battle." He meowed, looking his apprentice over as she bounced in front of him.

~'`~

Hollypaw ate her mouse happily as she sat with the other three warrior apprentices. She had mastered three more advanced battle moves that day, giving her a happy demeanor. The sun had just barely touched the tip of the horizon, and more patrols were padding into the hollow. The other apprentices had either been training, or cleaning out the elders' den and had been in camp early. The warriors, however, were just coming into the hollow with prey clamped in their jaws.

The black she-cat watched as a black and grey tom, a pale gray tom, and a brown tabby she-cat ran into the camp each with prey in their mouth. They set down their fresh-kill, took something for themselves, and sat under the oaks. Hollypaw gulped down the rest of her mouse and went to the elders den to see if they needed anything.

As Hollypaw entered the elders' den, she mewed a greeting. "Hi! I just came to see if you needed anything."

Molewing glanced up at the black apprentice and flicked her tail playfully. "Of course we need something! We elders always do!"

Hollypaw giggled politely. "So what is it that you need?"

Molewing grinned at the young she-cat. "Blackpaw was supposed to bring us some prey, but it never did happen."

Hollypaw dipped her head and headed towards the fresh-kill pile. She picked up a sparrow, a chaffinch, and a squirrel and turned towards the elders' den. Hollypaw gave her offerings to the old warriors, and left the den.

Hollypaw scolded Blackpaw playfully and sat down with her friends. She was happy for once, and she was finally fitting into clan life.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine- Mallowkit

Gray dawn light seeped in through the branches of the nursery. Mallowkit yawned widely, blinking in the sudden brightness. Hollowkit was snoring beside her and she felt a flash of remorse in her chest. All Hollowkit ever did was sleep! The only other action that took place in his life was eating. Mallowkit pushed away the thoughts and tried to think of something else. Suddenly, her heart filled with joy. _I'm becoming an apprentice today!_

Mallowkit jumped up from her nest, poking Lightkit's side before bouncing away. The daylight seemed brighter than before, and Mallowkit relished the warm glow. She glanced over at her brothers and was surprised to see Hollowkit sitting up. Lightkit was still poking him in the side as the fat kit blinked sleepiness from his eyes. Lightkit came bouncing over to Mallowkit, playfully batting at her ears. Mallowkit pawed at his head, trying to cuff him. "Now kits, we have to get you clean before the ceremony! Go ahead, start grooming yourselves!" Blossomfrost exclaimed.

As Blossomfrost started roughly licking Hollowkit's neck, Mallowkit looked herself over. Her pelt was dusty from play fighting with Lightkit, and her fur stuck up at odd angles. Mallowkit gave her pelt a quick lick, each stroke growing stronger.

After her fur was clean and smooth, Mallowkit did her best to keep it nice. Hollowkit was still unexpectedly awake. Lightkit was running around the nursery, his tail flicking madly. He pounced on Mallowkit, pressing her chest to the ground, ruffling her now dirty fur. "Lightkit! What did you do that for? Now I have to clean it _again_!" Mallowkit huffed, leaning down to groom her chest fur.

Lightkit apologized quickly and returned to his play. Just as Mallowkit finished, a call sounded from outside the nursery. Blossomfrost gathered the kits with her tail, leading them out into the fresh air. Mallowkit took in a deep breath, calming herself. Dawnstar sat on the big oak, proudly puffing out her chest.

As the three kits reached the bottom of the oak tree, Blossomfrost left their side. The clearing seemed bigger without her at Mallowkit's side, and she started to get dizzy. Mallowkit pushed away the dizziness. _I'm not going to let big things ruin this! I've been waiting my whole life for this exact moment._

"LilyClan, we gather here for a very important meeting; the making of new apprentices. Hollowkit, step forward," Dawnstar began.

Hollowkit lazily stumbled forward, his eyelids drooping. "From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Hollowpaw. Whitewhisker, you have shown courage and loyalty and Hollowpaw will be your first apprentice. I ask you to teach Hollowpaw all that you know."

Whitewhisker and Hollowpaw touched noses, and drew back into the crown. Next, Dawnstar called Lightkit. "From this day forward until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Lightpaw. Willowstorm, you are a new warrior but you have shown yourself a valuable asset to LilyClan. I ask that you pass on all that you know to Lightpaw."

Again, mentor and apprentice pressed their noses together and entered the crowd of cats to sit down. Mallowkit caught Lightpaw's eye, and he gave her an encouraging nod. Mallowkit nodded in return, and stepped into her place. She looked up at the crème leader, her heart pounding. "From this day forward until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Mallowpaw. Darkwillow, you are without an apprentice now that Redfrost is a warrior. I trust that you will pass on everything you know to Mallowpaw."

Mallowpaw nervously took a paw step towards Darkwillow. The dark furred she-cat closed the space between them, and pressed her nose ceremoniously to Mallowpaw's. Mallowpaw hesitated a moment, then pressed back. As Mallowpaw followed Darkwillow, she looked at the other warriors. Most of them were quite large, towering over the new apprentice. As Mallowpaw glanced at the large cats, she accidentally made eye contact with a black and grey tom. She looked away quickly, emarresment flashing through her. He had been the warrior that had watched over her in the medicine cat's den.

Darkwillow and Mallowpaw sat at the back of the crowd just as Dawnstar continued. "I have one more ceremony to perform. Grayclaw, is it your wish to step down as deputy and join the elders?"

Mallowpaw looked up sharply in surprise. She had not realized that her father was so old, but now that she looked closer, she saw silver and white specks on his muzzle. "It is." Grayclaw mewed firmly.

"Your clan honors you and the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest."

Mallowpaw halfheartedly joined in the chanting of her father's name. "Grayclaw! Grayclaw!"

Dawnstar signaled for silence. "Dismissed," she meowed.

Molewing gestured for Grayclaw to follow her to the elders' den, and Mallowpaw's father followed.

~'`~

The sun was already setting when Darkwillow led the new apprentice down the path. Mallowpaw's paws ached with exhaustion and her breath came in quick gasps. Her mentor had taken her on a tour of the territory right after the ceremonies. At first, Mallowpaw's energy was full and overflowing, but after a while it ebbed away to a slow trickle of life.

Darkwillow beckoned for Mallowpaw, and she forced her paws to move. "You may eat if you like." the warrior meowed.

Mallowpaw gratefully obeyed, picking out a shrew from the fresh-kill pile. She looked around uncertainly, until she spotted Lightpaw with Emberpaw and Littlepaw. Lightpaw gestured for Mallowpaw to join them, and she padded over thankfully. Littlepaw kindly patted the ground beside her, eyes shining with laughter. Mallowpaw slowly lay down beside the older apprentice, hesitantly taking a bite of the shrew. Littlepaw turned back to the other apprentices.

~'`~

Hollypaw P.O.V.

Laughter floated out of the half-blind she-cat, her green eye shone with a happy light. Blackpaw and her had joined the other apprentices after their hunting patrol, each joining in with the air of happiness. The three new apprentices were with them, and Hollypaw was beginning to like Mallowpaw the best. Lightpaw was a good cat too, but he was a tom. Hollowpaw on the other hand (_**A/N:**__ Or paw…_) was a lazy cat with seemingly no happiness in his heart.

Mews of laughter brought Hollypaw back to the real world. "Well, I'm going to turn in." Hollypaw meowed.

As Hollypaw stood, Emberpaw got to his feet, too. "I'm tired, too." He agreed.

The two apprentices padded over to the bush that served as the apprentices' den, and slid under its protective covering of leaves. Hollypaw lay down in her nest, and murmured a last 'Good-night' to Emberpaw before falling into a deep sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten- Foxwhisker (two moons after chapter nine)

Foxwhisker lay in the bright sun-high warmth, breathing in the last scents of green-leaf. Frost had covered the ground that morning, and Foxwhisker nearly mourned the loss of prey. Thankfully, there had been more than plenty of prey in new-leaf and green-leaf. The sun was losing a bit of its warmth daily, and the queens and elders were all in the clearing soaking up the last rays of green-leaf. Speckleheart and Blizzardclaw had moved to the nursery, each she-cat's romance evolving quuickly. Vixencloud had kitted, bringing Fernkit, Crowkit, Dapplekit, Firekit, Quailkit, and Brightkit to the clan. Whitewhisker had been in the nursery quite a lot lately, and Foxwhisker could tell that Dawnstar was getting fed up with standing in for all his patrols.

Dawnstar had told LilyClan that Darkwillow would be the new deputy, and when soon after, Dawnstar had announced that she would be standing in for him most of the clan was flabbergasted. _**(**_ _**A/N**__** I had to put it in there! One of my favorite words… flabbergasted!) **_ Foxwhisker had been leading a patrol in which Whitewhisker was supposed to go on, so he had been leading his

A paw in his side shook Foxwhisker from his thoughts. "Hey, Willowstorm said that we were going on a border patrol, so you need to get up."

Foxwhisker raised his head and opened his eyes to slits. Spiderfoot and Hollypaw stood before him, Spiderfoot's paw still raised. He heaved himself to his paws, making sure to look grumpy. Spiderfoot's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Well, I _guess_. Where's Willowstorm?" Foxwhisker asked the mentor-apprentice team.

Hollypaw flicked her tail towards the path, where Willowstorm sat calmly smoothing his back fur. Foxwhisker nodded and led the way to Willowstorm. Lightpaw sat beside his mentor, bouncing up and down. A flash of jealousy stabbed through Foxwhisker's heart. Willowstorm had been made a mentor before him. Foxwhisker had always imagined that they would become mentors _together_, but instead Foxwhisker was left to be a plain old _warrior_.

Foxwhisker pushed the thoughts away, only to be replaced by sorrow. Willowstorm and he had not spent time together since the ceremony for his apprentice. Foxwhisker shook his head, casting the dark thoughts out of his mind. Willowstorm was already padding up the path, followed closely by Lightpaw. Spiderfoot, Hollypaw and Foxwhisker traced their steps.

As Willowstorm padded in front, Foxwhisker decided to take up the back. Hollypaw was bouncing excitedly in front of him, causing her tail to brush against Foxwhisker's face. He gently bit down on the fur and nearly let out a _mrrow _of laughter as Hollypaw leaped into the air, fur fluffing up. When she saw that it was only Foxwhisker that had surprised her she let her fur lie flat and threw him an annoyed look.

The branches on the trees in front of the patrol were thinning with the rapid approach of leaf-fall. Willowstorm led them to the edge of the trees, marking the boulder that stood out as a key point in the border. _**(Hey, no judging! I couldn't think of another way to put it!)**_ As the patrol moved on, they marked each and every symbol of the border.

Suddenly, Hollwpaw's paw steps hindered. She raised her nose to the air and opened her mouth widely to draw the air over her tongue. When she called for Willowstorm to stop, Foxwhisker's hear stopped for a moment. What had Hollypaw smelled?

Willowstorm padded to Hollypaw's side, drawing the scents to his mouth, too. A startled look found its way across the pale gray tom's face just before a small black she-cat appeared in front of them. Foxwhisker took a step forward to get a better look at her. She had white spots, chest, and forepaws. Foxwhisker guessed that she was about apprentice age.

Lightpaw slowly slunk towards her until Willowstorm, recovered from shock from the loner's appearance, pulled him back by the tail. Foxwhisker was so caught up in his own thoughts that he was taken aback when the she-cat spoke. "I am Star and I wish to join you."

Dawnstar

Dawnstar leaped into the air, climbing easily the sides of the tree. She had been sleeping only moments ago, when a commotion outside had woke her. She dug her claws into the soft bark of the hollow oak, heaving herself over the rim of the hole and onto the branch she spoke from. Although the previous leader, Qauilstar, had prepared her for leadership, he had not prepared her for the task of her den. Each time she wanted in or out she had to climb.

As Dawnstar looked down at her clan, she saw a black and white she-cat entering the camp behind Willowstorm's patrol. She emitted a sigh, leaped from the oak, and marched to the newcomer. "Greetings, I am Dawnstar," she meowed.

The young she-cat dipped her head. "I am Star, and I wish to join your clan."

Dawnstar was astonished at Star's outright request. "Allow me time to think, Star," Dawnstar replied. Turning to Hollypaw she said, "Please show her to the fresh-kill pile and then the extra den."

Hollypaw nodded and obeyed, dashing off with the black and white she-cat in tow.

Dawnstar turned to the oak, thoughts crashing around inside her mind. The question that seemed most important at the moment was whether or not to let her stay. She knew that LilyClan could always use more warriors, but with the coming of leaf-bare she did not want to add another mouth to feed.

As the cream she-cat leaped up the tree, she made her decision. _I'll wait a while to see if I should change it, but who knows? Maybe she'll be a value to the clan._

When Dawnstar felt she had waited long enough, she stood, stretched, and climbed upward. As she emerged through the hole, she nearly changed her decision at the sight of her clan. But Dawnstar did not want to leave her clan-mates wondering. "Let all cats old enough to hunt prey gather here beneath the Great Oak!" Dawnstar called.

Once the whole clan was gathered beneath her, she continued. "I have made my decision! I will allow Star to stay. Star, from this moment on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Skypaw. Foxwhisker, you have shown leadership and compassion in these past moons, and now I put this apprentice in your guardianship. May you teach her well."

"Skypaw, Skypaw, Skypaw!"

Dawnstar cleared her throat in an attempt to quiet the cats bellow her. "I have four more ceremonies to perform. Hollypaw, Emberpaw, Blackpaw, and Littlepaw step forward."

The four apprentices nervously padded forward. "This ceremony is overdue for all of you. I, Dawnstar, leader of LilyClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. Hey have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Briefly locking gaze with each apprentice, she continued. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Emberpaw replied quickly. The others echoed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names, from this moment on you will be known as Emberflame, Hollyclaw, Blacktail, and Littlestep. StarClan honors your courage and skills and we welcome you as full warriors of LilyClan."

All of LilyClan called out the apprentices' names with joy, their voices ringing out clearly as the sun set fully.

(Updated allegiances)

LilyClan

Leader- Dawnstar, crème she-cat with green eyes

Deputy- Darkwillow, black she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Mallowpaw

Medicine Cat- Nightflower, black she-cat with dark green eyes

Apprentice, Mousestripe, dusky brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits)

Kestrelsong brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Minnowheart, silver tom with blue eyes

Spiderfoot, black tom with amber eyes and a white tipped tail

Cedarfur, dark gray tom with amber eyes

Nightclaw, black tom with dark blue eyes

Snowshade, white she-cat with black markings and blue eyes

Toadflight, brown tabby tom with hazel eyes

Whitewhisker, white tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Hollowpaw

Dustfeather, brown tabby tom with green eyes

Willowstorm, pale gray, almost white tom with dark green eyes

Apprentice, Lightpaw

Foxwhisker, black and gray tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Skypaw

Redfrost, dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Ottersong, dark ginger she-cat with bright blue eyes

Blossomfrost, tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes and white underbelly

Littlestep, small tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Emberflame, black tom with orange splotches and green eyes

Blacktail, black tom with green eyes

Hollyclaw, black she-cat with a white chest, paws, underbelly, and tail tip and one emerald eye, and a blind blue eye with the center clouded out

Apprentices (kits over six moons in training to become warriors)

Lightpaw, black tom with a dark crème face and blue eyes

Mallowpaw, orange tabby she-cat with a black face, legs, and tail-tip and green eyes

Hollowpaw, gray tom with green eyes

Skypaw, black she-cat with white chest, forepaws and spots and dark blue eyes

Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Vixencloud, ginger she-cat with white stripes and green eyes (mother of Fernkit: ginger she-cat with dark green eyes, Crowkit: black tom with pale green eyes, Dapplekit: pale ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes, Firekit: bright ginger tom with bright green eyes, Quailkit: pale ginger tom with white forepaws and green eyes and Brightkit: bright ginger and white she-cat with bright green eyes- mate of Whitewhisker)

Blizzardclaw, white she-cat with blue eyes and very, very pale gray spots (expecting Dustfeather's kits)

Speckleheart, black she-cat with gray spots and blue eyes (expecting Minnowheart's kits)

Elders (warriors and queens now retired)

Frostpelt, white tom with blue eyes

Darkclaw, dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Stonepetal, dark gray she-cat with amber eyes

Liontail, bright ginger tom with amber eyes

Molewing, dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Grayclaw, gray tabby tom with blue eyes

_**A/N:**_**Sorry everyone for such a slow update time! I have been REALLY busy and I will be for most of the summer :( Oh well! I'll do my best to update quickly! **

**Read, review, and review! I LOVE REVIEWS!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven – Foxwhisker

Dawn light seeped through the branches of the warriors den. Foxwhisker blinked and yawned with exhaustion. Silvermist had visited him for the first time in moons, and he felt as though his heart might burst. Once again she had shown him his 'future home'. But one other thing nagged at the back of his mind, a sensation that he could only describe as warm and fuzzy: love. At the thought, he flexed his claws. Silvermist was a StarClan cat, or so she had told him. Foxwhisker hoped with all his heart that she was in the clans by the lake, and not with their ancestors.

Foxwhisker felt a sharp jab in his side as Willowstorm shifted in his sleep. Foxwhisker barely held in a _mrrow_ of laughter as the pale gray tom rolled over with his legs splayed out in the air. To keep from bursting with amusement he padded out of the den, shivering with cold. Leaf-fall was there, and Foxwhisker felt that it would snow early.

The sky was covered with dark gray clouds, ready to dump heaps of snow on LilyClan. Darkwillow was already sorting a few hunting patrols with the six warriors that were outside; Whitewhisker, surprisingly out of the nursery, Toadflight, Littlestep, Redfrost, Dustfeather, and Emberflame. Foxwhisker padded towards the group of cats. Wooziness overtook his mind and he stumbled. The edges of his vision started turning black and the voices of Darkwillow and the others dimmed. His heart thudded in his chest. The darkness that was climbing its way to the center of his vision seemed warm and sleepy. Foxwhisker gave in to the fuzzy feeling and fell into a dark abyss.

~`'~

_Silvermist's voice floated around in Foxwhisker's head; "I am a clan cat, StarClan just allowed me to go into your dreams." And "Foxwhisker, I love you…" _

_The black and gray tom was lying in a stone hollow, but Silvermist was before him leading him towards the exit. He willed himself to move and his paws obeyed. As he padded out of the ThunderClan, as he had learned their name, camp he found himself betwixt two streams; RiverClan. Silvermist lead him to a bush, and he saw many sleeping bodies under it. One of them was familiar to him, and he recognized it as Silvermist. "Foxwhisker, this will be your clan. I will be waiting…"_

~`'~

Mousestripe

Mousestripe woke to the sound of fur on the hard compacted dirt. When he peeked over the edge of his nest, he let out a squeak at the sight of Foxwhisker's seemingly lifeless body being dragged in. Darkwillow held him by his scruff, but set him down to call, "Nightflower! Come quickly, Foxwhisker has fainted!"

Nightflower's dark shape appeared from the corner and she padded over to the pair of warriors. "Tell me what happened, Darkwillow," she mewed gently.

Darkwillow shifted on her paws and began to tell the medicine cat what had happened. As Nightflower examined the black and gray warrior, Mousestripe stepped out of his nest to see if she needed any herbs.

Suddenly, the heap of black and gray fur let out a hacking, rattling cough. Nightflower startled and turned to her apprentice. "I need catmint, Foxwhisker has green-cough," she meowed urgently.

Mousestripe stood in shock for a moment, but came out of his stupor to hurry to the wall. The stone wall held many niches in which the medicine cats stored their herbs. Mousestripe found the catmint and delicately held it betwixt his teeth, careful not to bite and of the leaves hard enough to let the tempting but precious healing juices drip onto his tongue. He lay it before his mentor, and decided to give her some chickweed and feverfew.

Once he had given his mentor the extra herbs, he stood back to watch Nightflower work. Mousestripe noted the way she stroked Foxwhisker's throat to help his body to unconsciously swallow. Nightflower asked Darkwillow to leave and Mousestripe decided to follow in suite.

As Mousestripe padded out of the medicine den and into the cold leaf-fall air, Willowstorm rushed up to him. "Is Foxwhisker okay? I heard he died on his way out of the warriors' den, but I know that's not true because otherwise he wouldn't be in the medicine cat den. Is he all right? Can I bring him anything to eat? I s he awake even? Can I see him?" Willowstorm meowed quickly, peeking over the dusky brown tabby's shoulder.

Mousestripe shook his head. "No, no, no, no and no to every question."

Willowstorm's eyes widened and his pale fur bushed up. "What's wrong with him?"

"I do not know if I can tell you that yet, Willowstorm."

Several other cats had circled them nervously, and Mousestripe was nearly happy when Nightflower called him back. When Mousestripe was inside the den, Nightflower padded over to him. She looked exhausted, and when Mousestripe briefly glanced over her shoulder he saw more herbs; coltsfoot, lavender, tansy, water mint, and juniper berries lay strewn across the floor by Foxwhisker's nest. "I believe that Foxwhisker is in the paws of StarClan now, Mousestripe. There is nothing more I can do but wait and keep treating him, but we're low on catmint. Would you go and pick some?"

Mousestripe nodded and dashed out of the medicine cat den, scaling the edge of the hollow with Willowstorm's and Littlestep's anxious gazes on his back. He was just a blur of dusky brown as he sprang across the moor. The trees were in sight, and he could already see the large clumps of catmint at the edge of the tree-line. Once he reached them, he tore off great clumps of it and turned his paws back towards home.

Once he could see the distinctive tops of the four old oaks in the distance, he pushed himself to go faster. This catmint could be the difference between Foxwhisker's life and his death. His heart _thump thump_ed in his chest and his gut began to ache. Mousestripe's lungs burnt with each breath causing his paw steps to falter briefly.

~`'~

Mousestripe lay down in his soft nest lined with moss and blue jay feathers. He had eaten a pigeon for his late meal and now he was exhausted from the unexpected events of the day.

As he drifted into deep sleep one question bounced around inside of his head; _will Foxwhisker make it?_

_**A/N:**__** So, how'd ya like it? I hope that you enjoyed it because I have a teensy bit of writers' block. It will pass soon though! DON'T WORRY! BE HAPPY! Hey, guess what!? REVIEW PLEASE!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: I do not own warriors; I only own what is not part of the warriors series. **_

Chapter Twelve- Quailkit

_Green eyes blinked in the darkness. A mouse was scuttling in front of the pale shape that was just barely seeable in the darkness. The cat slid out of the bracken, revealing its small frame and kit-like fur. The mouse was still slowly scurrying across the leaf mulch that lay on the forest floor. _

_The cat was hunkering down, preparing to pounce. Finally after careful stalking the tom kit leaped…_

_Something had waked Quailkit from his dream. The pale ginger kit let out a yawn. As Quailkit got to his feet, Fernkit shifted onto her other side, her nose in their mother's belly. A sudden realization hit Quailkit; he was the only one with his eyes open! His brothers and sisters hadn't even tried yet! Quailkit felt pride swell in his heart as he puffed out his chest. Vixencloud still slept with her other kits, letting out soft snores with each inward breath. Quailkit decided that he would go and see the camp that he had smelled on his father, Whitewhisker every time he came back into the nursery from outside. Whitewhisker had watched them all with quiet interest and love. Quailkit padded towards the entrance and was about to pad through the entrance when a mesmerizing voice behind him stopped him in his tracks. "Quailkit, Quailkit!" _

_The pale ginger tom spun around and nearly slammed into a pretty white she-kit. He did not recognize her. "Quailkit," she said in her beautiful high-pitched voice. "I am Moonkit, of StarClan. I need to show you something important to both you and me." _

_Moonkit led him out of the nursery and onto the hard-packed earth of the camp. Quailkit let out a small gasp at the sight; the camp turned out to be a large hollow with sides full of sharp rocks. There were four massive oaks standing on the west side of the camp with a few gorse bushes to the left. On the south side of the camp there was a little tunnel that wafted air stinking of waste. In the south-east corner sat two holly bushes which had enormous spreading branches. Betwixt the nursery and holly bushes was an incredibly large rock with an obvious tunnel under it. __**A/N:**__** Sorry for changing it, but this is now how I imagine it: A large crescent moon shaped rock with a large hole that leads to a cave with an underground stream and several short off tunnels where the clan can shelter if needed.**_

_When Quailkit looked back at where Moonkit was, he saw nothing. Panic engulfed him for a moment until he saw her waiting at the top of the hollow. How she had got up there, Quailkit did not know.. After a moment of speculation, Quailkit spotted a path that led up to the top of the hollow. Moonkit's tail flicked and her whiskers twitched in amusement. _

_Quailkit dashed up the side of the camp, reaching Moonkit in a matter of seconds. "Come, I will show you now."_

_Suddenly, Quailkit was transported with Moonkit to a windy moor. Quailkit fluffed up his fur, but relished the feel of the cool fingers of wind rushing through his pelt. Quailkit felt his heart lift; this place felt like home. _

_Moonkit flicked her tail to follow and Quailkit obeyed. A shallow dip in the ground lay ahead of the pair of kits, and Moonkit led him straight into it. They passed a ginger she-cat on guard, and another cat that was sitting awake, looking at the stars. Another cat lay at its feet, smelling faintly of herbs and… death. The cat was white and very small. "Who's that?" Quailkit wondered._

_Moonkit sighed. "That's… that's me."_

"_You? So you just barely went to StarClan?" _

"_Yes, now I have something very important to tell you, Quailkit. This place is the home of WindClan. This is also your future home in which you will travel to in a time equal to my life time here in WindClan. When you reach them, tell Ivybreeze that you met me and that I love her." Moonkit finished. _

_All of a sudden, Quailkit heard the she-cat bending over Moonkit's dead body whisper something inaudible. Quailkit guessed that this pretty she-cat was Moonkit's mother; Ivybreeze. _

_Ivybreeze muttered again and this time the pale ginger tom kit caught what she said. "Six moons, that's all she had with me…"_

_Quailkit's breath caught in his throat. _Six moons, and then I'm leaving for this… this place? This WindClan? He thought to himself.

Quailkit woke to find himself in the nursery once again. The clinging cobwebs of his dream stuck to the back of his mind, but he pushed it away with a yawn. Fernkit was awake with her eyes open and mouth wide in her own yawn. Firekit and bright kit were curled up together in the curve of their mother's belly as a mix of bright ginger and white kit fluff. Quailkit turned to his own pelt, smoothing down some of the fuzziness of his pale ginger coat. Their mother, Vixencloud, and their father, Whitewhisker both had thick, sleek pelts. Even the other queens, Blizzardclaw and Speckleheart. Neither of them had given birth yet, and their bellies were swollen with the unborn kittens.

Suddenly, Quailkit felt a sharp pinch in his side. It itched and hurt at the same time as if something had bit him. Quailkit squeaked with aggravation. "Mommy, help me! Something's biting me!"

Vixencloud turned to her pale ginger offspring with a gentle expression. "Well let's find out what it is."

Vixencloud helped him search through his fur until they found a tick buried under his fluffy pelt. Vixencloud squeezed the tick between her teeth, cracking its hard shell. Quailkit's mother spat out the insect and told him she was going to get some marigold in case of an infection.

Moments later Vixencloud reappeared with a strong smelling leaf clamped in her mouth. Fernkit bounced up to her. "What's wrong with Quailkit?" she asked their mother.

Vixencloud lay down the herbs and replied, "He had a tick." Then she started chewing the leaf into a fine pulp. She spread Quailkit's fur with her paws then spat out the mixture of spit and leaf onto Quailkit's tick bite.

Meanwhile, Fernkit was bouncing around the nursery chanting Quailkit's momentary predicament. "Quailkit's got a tick! Quailkit's got a tick!"

Vixencloud chuckled and halted the ball of annoying fluff. "Dearest, don't go around being rude. We need to be kind to our clan-mates."

"Clan?"

"Yes, we are part of LilyClan, Fernkit."

"Oh…" Fernkit muttered, angry that she hadn't remembered.

Quailkit could happily say that he had remembered what their father had said, _"You are my sons and daughters, and I am the son of Darkwillow, the deputy of our clan, LilyClan."_ Quailkit's pelt fluffed up in excitement once again. _I'm the son of the son of the deputy!_

Vixencloud announced that the kits could eat, and Quailkit abandoned his thoughts for the precious milk. _I love my life…_

_**A/N:**__** Well, there we go! Two chapters in ONE DAY! WOOT WOOT! See, now you guys like it when I have writer's block because then I try to push through it by writing a new chapter! :D 20**__**th**__** reviewer gets to know two book secrets or you get to make a cat in one of the lake-clans. (The secret can't be who is going to go on the journey; I am going to surprise you on that one!)**_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen- Mallowpaw (two moons after chapter twelve)

Dark clouds covered the sky, blocking the sun. Mallowpaw and Lightpaw were sharing a rabbit with Hollowpaw, each casting nervous glances up at the sky. The already faint light was fading until complete darkness enveloped the three apprentices. Most of the other cats had already fled to their dens muttering about snow. But the siblings had been hunting and had come back later than usual to find that the Clan had already begun their meal. They had lay down their prey and took the rabbit for themselves beginning just as most of LilyClan were finishing up.

Cold white flakes suddenly landed on Mallowpaw's pelt. _Snow…_ she guessed. Mallowpaw left her brothers to finish their rabbit, heading for the apprentices' den as the flakes began to get thicker. Carefully skirting Skypaw's nest, she made her way to her own mess of moss. Mallowpaw forced herself to groom her now wet fur thoroughly before settling down in her nest. Once warm and dry, she curled up putting her paw over her nose. Just as she was drifting off to sleep Hollowpaw and Lightpaw entered the den. Mallowpaw let out a low growl. _Every time I am nearly asleep… huh._

~`'~

_Mallowpaw woke to find herself in a meadow. The trees were in full leaf, casting a shadow on Mallowpaw's orange and black pelt. Her heart nearly stopped as a handsome dark brown tom with dark icy blue eyes padded out of the gorse surroundings. She felt a shy glow spark in her heart. _He sure is handsome,_ she thought. _

_The tom slowly padded towards her. "Mallowpaw, I have a message for you. StarClan has allowed me to bring this to you for they have foreseen our… future. Come…" he meowed padding away from her, beckoning with her tail to follow. _

_Mallowpaw hesitated slightly, unsure of whom he was but her heart won and she padded after the handsome dark brown tom. His scent still lingered in the air, and Mallowpaw took a deep breath of it. Her nose led her through the gorse and onto rough moorland. This was not LilyClan's moor, but rather an unfamiliar one. Ahead of her she saw the dark brown tom waiting for her to catch up. Mallowpaw's heart thudded oddly as she approached the dark brown tom. "Who are you?" she asked shyly._

"_I am Mudwhisker of WindClan. StarClan has allowed me to come to you through dreams, Mallowpaw," he mewed._

_Mallowpaw nodded as the tom padded across the moor once more. She could see a dimple in the earth ahead of her. Mudwhisker seemed to be heading for that. Once they reached it, Mallowpaw could see what appeared to be a camp; or so she guessed. There was a cat that was guarding the hollow and many other cats sleeping beneath the stars. _

_Mudwhisker turned back to Mallowpaw and mewed something. "Sorry, what?" Mallowpaw asked._

"_I said that this is WindClan and this is my home. Follow me."_

_Mallowpaw trailed behind the dark brown tom as he led her towards the group of cats snoring on the hard-packed dirt. Mudwhisker gestured to a dark brown heap of fur. "That's me, sleeping. Now, see that she-cat over there?"_

_Mallowpaw followed the tom's bright blue gaze to a gray and white she-cat. "That's Ivybreeze; she just lost her kit, Moonkit. On the day of her apprentice ceremony, just before Skystar gave Moonkit her apprentice name, two dogs barged into the camp," Mudwhisker mewed, bitterness coming into his voice. "She was to become my apprentice, but then the bigger dog rushed Moonkit and… and killed her." _

_Mallowpaw felt her heart break for Mudwhisker and for Ivybreeze, even for Moonkit. "I'm so sorry, Mudwhisker…"_

_The dark brown warrior shook his head as if trying to shake away cobwebs. "Yes, thanks, but I have something more important to tell you. This is your future home, with me here in WindClan. You shall trek your way here with five other cats. Three have been informed of this, but here this night the one of the other two will be included in this knowledge. The names are Foxwhisker, Quailkit, Skypaw, Ripple, and a kit of Speckleheart's."_

_Mallowpaw felt panic fill her mind. "Speckleheart!? Has she kitted already? Send me back, now!"_

_Mudwhisker chuckled, his whiskers twitching in amusement. "No, Mallowpaw, she will kit soon though, I promise." _

_Mallowpaw sighed in relaxation. "Okay, now what is this future StarClan told _you_ about and not me?" _

_Mudwhisker sighed uncomfortably, shifting on his paws. For a moment the only sound Mallowpaw could hear was the oh-so-wonderful wind that was blowing through her fur, but finally Mudwhisker spoke. "They said… well, they said that we would become, uhh, mates, "Mudwhisker said uncertainly._

_Mallowpaw jumped to her feet, surprise flooding her gaze. "M-mates? Like, _kits_ kind of mates?" she stuttered._

"_Yeah, want to know another thing they said? They said that I would be the first cat that your group of friends meets."_

"_Hmm…" Mallowpaw grunted. "You want to know a secret?" she added without thinking._

"_Um, sure…?"_

"_I, uhh, kind of think that you are uhh, handsome…" Mallowpaw squeaked, trailing off._

_Mudwhisker nodded and replied, "You yourself are beautiful, Mallowpaw." _

_Mallowpaw looked up sharply. "Really?" _

"_Yeah, really. Now, I believe that your mentor is calling you," Mudwhisker said, disappearing._

~`'~

Mallowpaw lay down, her paws aching. Darkwillow had been battle training with her and Mallowpaw had finally got the best of her. Mallowpaw had puffed out her chest in pride and strutted the whole way back to camp. Just as she was about to groom herself, a voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Mallowpaw, Willowstorm said that we are going on border patrol with him. Darkwillow said she was tired so it will just be us and Willowstorm."

Mallowpaw gazed upward to see her brother, Lightpaw, standing over her. "All right, give me a second and I'll be over."

As Mallowpaw stood, stretching her tired muscles, Lightpaw dashed back to his mentor. Willowstorm said something and Lightpaw bounced around him.

Once Mallowpaw had made her way over to them, Lightpaw's energy had boiled away a little, leaving him at his normal energy level. Mallowpaw wondered what Willowstorm had said, and was about to ask when she noticed that Skypaw was sitting alone, her shoulders slumped. "Hey Skypaw, where's Foxwhisker?" she called to the silver tabby apprentice.

Skypaw looked up, her gaze filled with unused energy. "Foxwhisker still isn't better and well… I haven't been out of the camp for two days."

Willowstorm sighed behind Mallowpaw, obviously missing patrols with his best friend. "Would you like to come with us on border patrol?"

"Oh, yes please!" Skypaw exclaimed, brightening up immediately.

~`'~

Mallowpaw brought up the back of the patrol as they reached the edge of the trees. Dark blue-gray clouds had rolled in, heavy with white snow. The cold flakes were beginning to fall as the patrol entered the copse of trees. The leaves of the trees had mostly fallen to the ground. The thick canopy of green-leaf had left revealing thin branches that clattered together like dry bones.

Willowstorm led the apprentices around the edge of the forest, marking the indications of the border. Suddenly, he stopped, pausing to lift his nose to the air. Without warning a black she-cat sprang out of the clumps of gorse, attacking Lightpaw. All three of Lightpaw's companions stood rigid in shock, only brought back by his screech of pain. The wiry black she-cat had pinned him to the ground and was clawing paw-fulls of his belly fur out. Mallowpaw leaped at the assailant, only succeeding in catching fur.

The she-cat suddenly yowled stop in such a powerful voice that Mallowpaw obeyed. Out of the corner of her eye, the orange and black apprentice could see that Skypaw and Willowstorm had paused, too. "This apprentice," the black she-cat said, "shall be a lesson to _all_ of LilyClan. You cast me out, and now I shall repay you in suite. Say good-bye precious kit, Lightningstep is going to kill you now."

Mallowpaw let out a screech, hurling herself at Lightningstep. The black-she-cat's yellow eyes flashed as she rained blow after blow on Lightpaw's neck. When Mallowpaw reached Lightningstep she clawed at her face and body. The black she-cat had no chance with the kind of fury Mallowpaw was feeling.

Mallowpaw bit Lightningstep's neck with a sickening crunch. The battle was over. Mallowpaw had killed the enemy and brought victory, but it was too late for Lightpaw. He had already breathed his last breath. Mallowpaw felt her own breath catching in her throat as she stared at her brother's lifeless body. She heard a whisper escape Willowstorm's mouth, "Why, StarClan? Why couldn't I save him?"

~`'~

As the trio staggered back to the LilyClan camp, Mallowpaw finally noticed that Skypaw was laced with scratches. When Mallowpaw asked, Skypaw explained that she had aided Mallowpaw in the death of the enemy.

Willowstorm was still in shock, sorrow filling his gaze, but had still offered to take Lightningstep's body back to camp. Mallowpaw and Skypaw carried Lightpaw on their backs, sharing his weight.

As the remaining cats of the patrol entered the camp, Mallowpaw heard an anguished cry, recognizing it to be Blossomfrost. Mallowpaw and Skypaw lay Lightpaw's body in the middle of the camp. Skypaw left the orange and black apprentice to mourn with her mother, going to fetch Hollowpaw.

A few moments after Mallowpaw had crouched beside her brother's cold body, Hollowpaw dashed out of the apprentices' den. Snow lay on the ground beneath Mallowpaw, but she didn't notice until her belly seemed colder than the snow itself. Shifting her weight, Mallowpaw ignored the cold and focused on mourning the loss of her brother. _I can't believe it! I can't believe my brother is… dead._

~`'~

It was morning and Mallowpaw felt exhaustion weighing her down. The elders had already buried Lightpaw's body, leaving the rest of the family to huddle together. Grayclaw had been distraught when he had been informed of his son's death. Mallowpaw had just agreed with whatever he said, not really hearing him. She felt numb; maybe because of grief, or maybe because of the snow that fell thickly from the clouds.

Just as Mallowpaw was about to head into the apprentices' den seeking warmth, she heard a call behind her. Dawnstar was standing on her branch, calling a Clan meeting. _What could she possibly want?_ Mallowpaw thought irritably.

"LilyClan, we have two new warriors among us today! Skypaw and Mallowpaw step forward."

Mallowpaw felt shock set in. _I'm becoming a warrior…! But Lightpaw should be here… _

"I, Dawnstar, leader of LilyClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has fought as a warrior and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Skypaw replied, joy lighting her gaze. When Mallowpaw looked deeper, she saw a kind of grief there. _She loved him,_ Mallowpaw realized.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name; Skypaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Skypool. StarClan honors your courage and patience and we welcome you as a full warrior of LilyClan," the cream leader called.

"Skypool, Skypool, Skypool!"

Mallowpaw felt her grief being pushed away slightly to be replaced by excitement and adrenaline. Dawnstar went through the same ceremony as with Skypool. "I do," Mallowpaw replied.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name; Mallowpaw from this moment on you shall be known as Mallowstream. StarClan honors your intelligence and skill and we welcome you as a full warrior of LilyClan."

Mallowstream puffed out her chest in pride as the Clan called her new name. Hollowpaw rushed over to greet her, chanting her new name over and over. "So you're not mad, Hollowpaw?" Mallowstream asked nervously.

"About what?" Hollowpaw asked obliviously.

"About me becoming a warrior without you."

"No, I am just fine with waiting my turn, Mallow_stream_," Hollowpaw replied happily.

"Thank you," Mallowstream sighed.

_Hollowpaw has changed so much. I'm glad he's my brother…_

**_ A/N:_****_Well, thirty-fifth reviewer gets a prize! Eight reviews, people. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Also, I hope you liked this chapter! It took me a while to figure out who I was going to kill off, but well, it's here now! Ta-ta!_**

**_FUN FACT: Originally I was going to kill Willowstorm. _**

**_FUN FACT 2: I was going to make Foxwhisker die._**

**_FUN FACT 3: At first, I was going to make Skypool's warrior name Skyfeather._**


	14. Author's Note

Author's Note

I am not going to be posting a new chapter due to writer's block, but I wanted to tell everyone that I'm not abandoning this story! I shall be posting a new chapter in a while, it could be a week, but it could be a month.

Also, to the rude guest that reviewed: Right now I could say, "Thanks for the review, I'm sorry you didn't like it," or "Thank you for your review, I will keep that in mind as I write the next chapter!", but NO. What I am going to say is this, "Thanks you for your foul review, I shall keep it in mind as I write my next _crappy_ chapter. I am now going to add you to my archive of stupidity and all thinks negative. Have a horrible day… _dirt bag._" I am not going to remove his/her review because I want it to give me motivation to write the same decency level of chapters.

Now that I probably have bored you with this very long Author's Note, I want to say thank you to all my kind reviewers. You have motivated me to keep writing this book, and I hope that you all will forgive me for the still awaited next chapter.

Thank you for your time,

Moonlit Demise

P.S. I hope you all have a wonderful day! (NOT including dirt bag…)


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